Old West
by DONOVAN94
Summary: In the old west, there's only one law: survive. The citizens of Mud are being attacked by mercenaries. But if Rango's going to save his town again he'll need to call in an old enemy: Rattlesnake Jake. But the rattler is not so willing to cooperate, especially when a glossy snake named Grace is involved. Whether they like it or not they'll need to work together to save the town.
1. Better The Devil You Know

**Author's Note: Hello and thank you for coming to read my Rango fanfiction! First off, I just wanted to say that I have always loved the Rango movie, and have wanted to write this story for a while. Its gone through many phases and plot-rewrites to get here, spent months just sitting on my computer until I finally polished it up and wrote this chapter for you. And I can't wait to get into this baby! :D**

 **Secondly, I need to say the usual: I don't own Rango, all rights to their respective owners. I only own the plot and any OC characters.**

 **Please leave a review, even constructive criticism, all comments are welcome. And please enjoy!**

* * *

 **~Old West~**

* * *

Better the Devil You Know

 _"So trade was closed and deed was given and the Lord went back to his home in heaven_

 _And the devil said now I got all what's needed to make it good hell and he succeeded." – Jonny Cash, 'Mean as Hell'_

* * *

Many would assume that the Mojave Desert is a harsh and cruel environment, with only death as its soul inhabitant. But you would be surprised to learn that even in this unforgiving, blistering, hellish, mind-crumbling, soul-eating, unending, hot, dry, death-inducing, madness-creating landscape, there is still life. An abundance of life, actually. Animals that have had millions of years to adapt to the harsh environment thrive here, though even they struggle at times. What you would be even more surprised to learn, is that a day's journey into the heart of the desert, there is a little secret town, a frontier town still living in the ways of the old west.

The town was once known as 'Dirt', for there was nothing grand or promising or hopeful about it. It had been a bleak and miserable place with bleak and miserable citizens. Starved of water, the one thing that was in incredibly short supply in the desert – to an educated soul that would be unsurprising – they had managed to survive off of a mere trickle of the life giving substance from an old pipe. Yet mysteriously, their water began to run dry, until in the end it was gone all together. Yet by some mysterious turns of events, the water was returned in abundance, and now a large lake sat right next to the town, with more cool fresh water then the inhabitants of the town could ever wish for. Due to this miracle, the town had been renamed 'Mud', not exactly an inspiring or even pretty name, but as the townsfolk were an unimaginative lot, they were simply happy for any moisture beneath their feet, and so named their town after that.

In the months since the water had returned, the town had been rebuilt out of any bits of wood, rocks and constructs the humans left behind. Seeing as the town had been smashed apart when the water came back, but the people of Mud were resourceful and quickly rebuilt their town exactly as it had been before – only this time it had a huge lake right beside it. It was now a year since that day the water had returned, and the town was more prosperous then it had been in decades.

On this particular day, Sheriff Rango, a chameleon and the town's oddball and hero (who was still not dead), was out on his rounds. Dressed in his usual white shirt, brown waist-coat, jeans, boots, cowboy hat and signature sheriff's star, he strutted about his home-town with a skip in his step and a grin on his wide mouth.

"Afternoon, Ambrose!" Rango hollered across the street to the burrowing owl in a gentleman's attire.

"Good afternoon, Sheriff!" Ambrose called back, his voice without the twang of the cowboy-accent the rest of the town had; he waved a wing, a smile on his beak.

"Sheriff," Squeaked a little white mouse with a long beard as he smiled up at the chameleon.

"Spoons! My favourite utensil-playing rodent," Rango grinned.

"Sheriff Rango!" Came a sudden cry as the big-golden-eyed cactus mouse, Pricilla, suddenly appeared in front of Rango, hardly appearing out of breath, but there was an excited glint in her eyes as she looked up at the man before her. "Trouble's brewing at the other end of town! You better come quick!" She said as she pulled on Rango's arm as she tugged him in the right direction.

"Wait, now hold on little sister!" Rango said as he pulled the girl to a stop and knelt down in front of her. "Now what's a-going on?"

"Some boys I ain't never seen before, Sheriff." Pricilla said in her usual calm way. "They came strolling into town and began making a right fuss. They be getting people worked up, causin' a bit-a trouble. I thought you could go in and shove 'em outta town."

"Trouble, eh?" Rango asked, not really liking the sound of that, but to save face in front of his young admirer, he straightened himself and gave an indifferent sniff. "Best I go and show dem boys the law in this town."

As he went to march in the direction Pricilla had indicated, he was a little startled to see her calmly following him, and so quickly stopped her with a soft hand on her shoulder.

"Whoa, now hold it there, little sister." He said quickly. "Now, someone's gonna need to go to my office and request… uh, reinforcements. Can't have all the glory now, can I?" The excuse came easy. Despite the fact that the town knew of Rango's previous lies, and that he and them had moved past that, he couldn't resist the temptation to play the part of the hero. That was one part of him that would never change: the actor.

"Can I bring my shotgun?" Pricilla asked.

"Err… let's put a pin in that thought." Rango murmured uneasily. It troubled him how fascinated Pricilla was with death, but the girl never seemed to want to cause any real harm… she just liked the idea of death.

"Don't do anything stupid, Rango!" The girl said over her shoulder as she began to march back up the street towards the sheriff's office. With her now out of harm's way, Rango sighed before he marched back towards where the girl had said these trouble-makers were.

He found three strangers. One, who was presumably the leader, was a large rat with a balding head and crooked buck teeth, but with clear and intelligent eyes. The second was a Chuckwalla lizard, with a long snout, black scales flecked with white like freckles. And the third was a Round-tailed Ground Squirrel, a creature that looked more like a chipmunk then it did a squirrel. All three were dressed in surprisingly well kept black leather boots, jeans and ponchos, though they seemed to be packing enough gear to bring down elephants, as there wasn't a free space on them that wasn't covered by knives or guns or bullet belts.

Rango found the three strangers surrounding a rabbit with two of the town children huddled behind her. The ground squirrel held the three at gun point whilst the other two were seemingly destroying her house whilst she watched. Rango felt himself torn on how to feel. On one hand all those guns and knives these strangers carried made them appear professional and incredibly fierce. However, upon seeing his citizens threatened in such a way, Rango wanted to feel brave… even when he really wasn't. But upon seeing him out of the corner of her eye, the woman's eyes beamed with hope.

"Oh! Sheriff Rango! Sheriff Rango! Help!" She cried out to him with a wave of her arm. The ground squirrel snarled something at her, making her shut up, before following her gaze to see Rango standing there. The squirrel's eyes widened and he suddenly looked unsure.

"Uh… boss?" He called out in a dopey voice. "We got a problem…" When there was no response, he shouted: "Tomson!"

"What?!" The rat snarled ferociously as he turned on the squirrel from where he had been stuffing the woman's necklaces from her jewellery box he had retrieved from the house into his pocket. Upon seeing that his companion was looking not at him, the rat – named Tomson – turned his head to look at Rango.

Rango felt the vibe in the air change from aggressive to wary, and he wandered how well this could work for him.

"Now I'll only tell you boys once…" Rango said loudly, laying on his thick accent with his sense of false bravado. "Leave the civilian population alone. We don't want no trouble here. You keep things nice and easy and we can go our separate ways…"

"The one-bullet legend…" The rat Tomson murmured as his eyes travelled up and down Rango's body. Rango felt his bravado slip a bit when his words seemed to go ignored.

"I say again: let the woman go." Rango tried to sound fierce. "If you don't I'll put this here 'one-bullet' between all of yer eyes!"

"No need for that, Sheriff," Tomson said with a slight curl of his lip. "Woman was tellin' us nothing anyways." With a nod of his head, Tomson signalled to the ground squirrel who lifted his gun away from his hostages as the Chuckwalla shoved them away. The woman wasted no time in quickly ushering the two children to safety as they ran. Rango didn't exactly know how to feel about this, leaving him an awkward moment as he stared at the strangers.

"Mighty appreciated…" He mumbled. "Might I ask you boys who you are and what you're doing here?"

"You could call us 'fixers'…" Tomson said with a cruel grin as the other two laughed.

"Fixers?"

"Yeah, people pay us to fix their problems." The Chuckwalla snickered.

"Oh…" Rango mumbled, a sense of dread forming in his stomach as he pondered the thought of mercenaries in his town. "So… uh, what did you come here to fix?"

"We're here looking for a snake." Tomson said, his eyes growing dark and serious as he studied Rango carefully.

"S-Snake?" Rango all but yelped as he could have sworn he heard a metallic rattle in the back of his mind.

"Where's the snake, Sheriff?" Tomson almost growled as his hand hovered over his gun.

"Now I don't know what you boys think yer doing," Rango said with a stern expression, trying to once more act the courageous hero. "But I can tell you the truth: no snake's been here in–"

"Oh I think not, _Sheriff_." Tomson spat as he quickly held out his gun, along with his companions, and held them all pointing at Rango. The chameleon stood frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do before he did the first thing that came to his mind.

"Look! Hawk!" He shouted as he pointed his finger at the sky.

Whether by instinct or luck, all three mercenaries turned in fear to look at the sky, ducking low and covering themselves as if they feared talons would spear them at any moment. When nothing came however, they stood and Tomson quickly spun around, only to see the end of Rango's tail ducking behind an alley. The three quickly gave chase, and Rango ran as fast as he could as he tried to come up with a new plan. Seeing another turn, he quickly ducked into it, standing completely still and flush against the wall of the building behind him. He waited until he saw the three mercenaries run past him, before he jumped out with a grin.

"Ah-ha!" He proclaimed triumphantly as he pointed his gun at their backs.

Tomson and the others growled in annoyance as they turned to face him, and all three pointed their guns at him.

"Uh-oh…" Rango mumbled, before screaming and running back up the alleyway.

He emerged onto the main street, hoping about and dodging the bullets that flew at him from his pursuers. Running towards the nearest barrel, Rango dived into it, just as Tomson and the others came out onto the street. They ran towards the barrel and Tomson snarled as he reached in in order to yank out the Sheriff –

There was a loud click, and the mercenary froze in place. He slowly drew back, with Rango slowly came up after him, his gun pointed at the rat's face. The ground squirrel and the Chuckwalla pointed their guns at Rango, but Tomson didn't move, keeping his eyes on the metal barrel pointed at his head. They had reached a stalemate.

They all stood perfectly still, none sure who was going to make the first move. Rango smiled nervously.

They then heard a flurry of clicks, and all four slowly turned to see a dozen of the town members pointing their arsenal of firearms at the three mercenaries. Tomson's eyes grew large as they travelled from face to face, seeming to think on what to do next.

"Reinforcements!" Rango cheered triumphantly. He then reached into Tomson's pocket and pulled out the stolen necklaces, the rat not daring to make a move with Rango's gun still pointed at his head. "Now why don't you boys be on your way. We don't want no trouble here."

Tomson hesitated, before nodding to his comrades and they quickly headed off out of town and into the desert. Rango climbed out of the barrel, and after giving the rabbit woman back her stolen necklaces, and then thanking those who had stepped in to chase off the Mercenaries, he turned to his deputy, Wounded-Bird. The crow, although still without one leg, was completely healed from his shot wounds and fall from a clock tower.

"Why thank you for your assistance there WB," Rango grinned as he strutted over to his friend. "Your help was much appreciated."

"Looked more like rescue." Wounded Bird mumbled quietly.

"What?" Rango blinked before quickly covering for himself like it was a knee-jerk response. "Oh-no! That… that was, uh, a strategy! Yes! I was luring them into my trap, lulling them into a false sense of security. Another five seconds and they would have been putty in my hands."

"Uh-huh." Wounded Bird rolled his eyes. "What did strangers want?"

"Don't know," Rango answered truthfully. "They said they wanted a snake…"

"Snake?"

"Yeah, they could only mean Rattlesnake Jake – but he ain't been here for months." The chameleon murmured thoughtfully as the puzzle worked over in his brain.

"Snake outlaw. Would have many enemies." Wounded Bird said seriously.

"Yeah…" Rango nodded gravely. "But if they're coming here for him, that may be bad news for the town."

"Snake can handle his own problems." Wounded Bird said somewhat stiffly. Rango blinked as the words struck a chord in him.

"That… might not be such a bad idea after all…" Rango murmured with a slow nod of his head.

"Rango!" Came a sudden shout and he turned to see the lovely brown-haired, blue dress wearing lizard-lady he'd come to adore.

"Beans!" Rango called with a smile, but as soon as she reached him, Beans didn't hesitate to smack his arm. "Ow!"

"What were you thinking?!" Beans fumed. "You could've been shot, you idiot!"

"But I wasn't!" Rango whined.

"Them trouble-makers gone?" Beans asked with a slight huff.

"Yeah, they're long gone now." Rango couldn't help raising his chin with a smug grin.

"Rango, that's the fifth time this month we've had boys like them causing us trouble." Beans snapped. "We can't let this continue…"

"Trust me Beans," Rango said to her softly. "I'm gonna do all I can to get to the bottom of this, I promise."

"Oh…" Beans' eyes softened as she cupped his face with a small smile. "I know… I'm just worried is all,"

"I know…" Rango said as he braced himself for the storm he was about to unleash. "But I'm gonna need you to help keep the town together for me."

"What? Why? Where you going?" Beans blinked in surprise as she bombarded him with questions.

"I need to head out of town, I should be back before dark… if my sources are correct." Rango said as he began to walk back to the Sheriff station where his roadrunner was tied to the front post.

"Why would you need to head out of town?" Beans asked as he untied his roadrunner.

"Well, I need to see a certain somebody about what's going on." Rango murmured uneasily.

"And who would that be?"

"Them boys said they wanted to find a snake…" Rango didn't look Beans in the eye as he purposefully avoided the question.

"Rango…" Beans warned.

"So I thought if anyone can come clean up his own mess…"

"Rango."

"It should be him. Which is why…"

"Rango!"

"I'm gonna go get Rattlesnake Jake!" Rango finished quickly.

"WHAT?!" Beans shrieked. And then all of a sudden she froze in place, every single muscle freezing, not even her eyes blinking. It was her broken reflex that had saved him once again. Rango and Wounded Bird stood frozen with apprehension as they waited to make sure she was frozen.

"Best to go now…" Wounded Bird murmured.

"Going!" Rango all but leapt onto his roadrunner as he began to race out of town before he even buckled himself in. He was well out of town when he heard a familiar scream:

"RANGO!"

* * *

After Rattlesnake Jake had left the ruined yet water-plentiful town of Dirt with Mayor Tortoise John, Rango had thought it a good idea to keep an ear to the ground on the movements of the Rattler. He'd wanted to know if Jake was ever headed in the direction of the town, normally the outlaw stuck to the desert, moving from one place to next as he did jobs that only added to his fearsome reputation, even if these past several months had been quiet compared to the snake's usual. But Rango had kept tabs on him, just in case. And it seemed that that intuition now paid off as it led him here.

Rango stood in the entrance way of a cave beneath an outcropping of rocks. Inside was shaded and cool from the sun, but was so infinitely black that Rango couldn't see three inches in. The cave seemed to be deep enough that nothing could reach in without having to step inside it fully. On the ground were marks where Jake's underbelly had scrapped against the sand and stone in his slithering. The tracks were recent. Rango felt his heart give a nervous flutter as his stomach felt like it was doing flips.

Despite the fact that Jake hadn't killed Rango the last time they'd met, Rango was still uncertain of where they stood. Jake seemed to dislike him, even if he gave the chameleon his begrudging respect when they'd parted ways. Rango was certain that it was mainly because Jake had been too occupied with wanting his revenge on the mayor for betraying him. So the Sheriff was more than a little nervous about _voluntarily_ facing against the Rattlesnake again.

"Jake!" He shouted into the cave, hovering just outside the threshold. Rango wasn't _that_ stupid as to walk into the snake's den uninvited when he couldn't see his hand in front of his face. "It-It's me, Rango! I'm not here for trouble! I just wanna talk!"

As his cries echoed into the cave, Rango felt his nerves double as it felt like he would be sick at any given moment. He shifted from foot to foot, ready to bolt at the first sign of trouble to where he'd left his roadrunner several feet away. The chameleon's beady eyes shifted around in agitation, his fingers twitching as the suspense ate at him.

And then from the darkness, two eyes like hellfire appeared.

Rango all but soiled his pants when those slit-pupils focused on him with a cold gaze, the yellow rimming the black and fading into a deep and furious red enough to make any grown man sweat. There was a sound of metal rattling, and the eyes came forward. Rango almost fell over himself in his haste to back up in order to give the snake room as he came out of the cave into the scalding-hot sunlight. Once again, Rango was overwhelmed by the sheer size of the snake that reared up before him, let alone his nightmare-inducing appearance.

Rattlesnake Jake was a snake of unimaginable size: five and a half feet long, a human would have considered him a very staggering sized snake, let alone a little four inch tall chameleon. Jake's sand-coloured scales allowed him to blend in with the desert ground, apart from the large black diamonds running along his back, surrounded by white borders, the namesake of the Western Diamondbacks. Despite the fact that he wore no 'clothing' per-se, Jake's hellfire eyes and deadly expression was shaded by a black hat, and strapped along his body were bullet belts, with bullets each as long as Rango's hands. In place of the iconic rattle-tail, Jake had a metal Gatling-gun that rotated and shook in order to give off an eerie metallic rattling. Despite the large gun that Jake was rattling with clear annoyance, Rango's eyes were drawn to the curled lip which hinted at the needle-like teeth and folded fangs hidden in the snake's deadly mouth.

"Hello… _brother_ …" Jake hissed in a low voice as he shifted on his coils until he was looming over Rango, gun-rattle chiming softly to the side of him. "Been a long time…"

"That it has Jacob," Rango tried to smile with a light-hearted tone despite the fact that his heart was hammering against his chest.

"Don't call me that name." Jake snapped coldly, causing Rango to jump back in fright before he quickly tried to compose himself. Jake's forked black tongue shot out of his mouth as he tasted the air, and Rango could've sworn that the rattler's gaze lit up with dark amusement as he tasted Rango's terror.

"Okay then…" Rango murmured nervously, once more trying to ease the tension in the air. "I see you've been, uh, doing well…"

"I hope ya gotta damn good reason for calling me out here…" Jake growled as his rattle began to get louder with his aggravation. The rattlesnake's eyes narrowed on Rango with a dark expression as a thought suddenly struck him. "Ya ain't trying to bring me in… That'll only getcha killed, _Brother._ "

"Now Jake…" Rango wet his lips as he inched back a little. "I had hoped that after what happened… uh, last time… W-We could start over –"

"I spared you once outta gratitude." Jake interrupted with a growl, coils hissing as they scraped along the ground as he loomed slowly closer to Rango with dangerous fiery eyes. "That don't mean jack-shit now."

"Hold on there, Jake!" Rango spluttered quickly as he held up his hands. "I promise! I'm not here looking for trouble!"

"Then spit it out, Sheriff, before I lose what little patience I got left." Hissed the snake.

"Okay, uh…" The Sheriff mumbled, swallowing hard as he tried to slip into the only thing that could possibly calm him: acting. "Mud's been having trouble recently, with folks who keep harassing the town. Now usually I can fend them off myself. You know how it is, they don't dare mess with the legend who could single handily take them and –"

"Tell me any'a yer _stories_ , Sheriff, and I'll blow a hole through yer skull." Jake growled dangerously, his Gatling Gun clicking ominously as the bullets already loaded in it engaged.

"Right then…" The Chameleon murmured. "Anyways… One of 'em today said they was looking for you. And I want to know Jake, have you got any enemies that would want to hurt Mud to get to you?"

"I don't give two rats asses about yer town, Sheriff, so these boys are either new or they're stupid." Jake dismissed with a hard tone. "But anyone who's gotta bone to pick with me that I know of, they're already dead."

"I had thought you might want to… you know, come and sort this mess out." Rango murmured, eyes shifting as he dared to voice his secret hope. Jake gave a cold and humourless laugh.

"Why?" He asked condescendingly. "You want me to play town hero? That's yer job, Sheriff. I only come in when I need to take a soul to hell."

"It's the right thing, Jake." Rango mumbled.

"Ha!" Jake laughed loudly, though once again, it was not a merry sound. He turned his gaze back onto Rango with a slight curl of his lip, before he turned and began to go back into his cave in one fluid motion. "I don't run no charity. Go home, little-man. Yer've amused me enough for one day."

"What if I asked to hire you?" Rango blurted before he could stop himself. Jake stopped.

"Come again?" The snake asked without turning back around.

"What if I hired you to come in and help me deal with these trouble-makers until they're gone." Rango continued, unable to go back on this sudden and unintended course, and so plunged right in.

"I'd say yer making a deal with the devil…" Jake murmured as he turned to look at Rango with an unreadable expression.

"I always say: better the devil you know."

"And what does yer little town think'a this? I can't see them folks being too thrilled to have me wandering their streets freely." Jake smirked as he turned back around to fully face Rango.

"You let me worry 'bout them." The chameleon murmured quietly.

"And what would ya pay me with? I'm ain't gonna be cheap…" Jake lifted a brow at the lizard before him.

"I can offer whatever's left of Mayor John's fortune, maybe a few of his things. He got no family to claim it." Rango offered, thinking of the only thing he could really promise Jake now. No one had claimed what was left of Mayor John's things, they'd just been sitting in storage up until now, so why not let Jake have them to do with what he liked?

"Now that _is_ tempting…" Jake's smirk turned cruel before he looked at Rango with a calculating expression. "But ya are aware I don't leave no place without taking a soul with me…"

"I'll… keep that in mind…" The Sheriff swallowed nervously.

"Ya better." Jake's eyes became hard, a warning in his voice as clear as the sun above them as he spoke. "Ya hire me to do something, ya let me do my job. I don't do it pretty, and I don't do it nice. But I do what I'm hired for. So long as ya don't get in the way'a that, we'll be fine."

"Okay…" Rango nodded obediently, hope starting to dawn in his chest as he focused on the specific words – it sounded like Jake was actually considering this! "So I'll hire you to help me protect my town from these mercenaries and whoever's hired them. And in return for your services, you get the… _late_ Mayor John's riches and belongings. Do we have ourselves an agreement?"

Jake grinned evilly.

"You gotta deal." The snake nodded.


	2. The Grim Reaper

The Grim Reaper

 _"Back in the good old days, They knew how to brawl_

 _I'm talkin' real gunslingers, I'm talkin' real outlaws…" – Brantley Gilbert 'Take It Outside'_

* * *

Jake had never thought he'd see the day when the cowardly lizard Sheriff came to him asking for help. The rattlesnake had to confess that he was a little curious as to what could make the Sheriff call on him, considering Jake's love of being outside the law, and that neither had seen each other in a year, not since Jake had dragged the Mayor John out of Dirt. But Jake's curiosity only went so far as to be interested in what threat could be so bad it made the 'one-bullet-legend' summon the hell-snake. After that, Jake's only interest was getting paid.

He hadn't been lying when he'd said that Mayor John's fortune was a tempting offer. Jake still felt a bitter sting course through his stomach, setting his veins afire with fury as he remembered when the Mayor had betrayed him. Mainly he was angry because he'd been caught so off guard he'd been helpless, he truly hadn't seen it coming, when usually he was so attentive to if a job was heading south. Jake prized himself on keeping to his contracts, but staying one step ahead of his employers. The fact that he'd been so careless only riled him up all the more, and Mayor John had been on the receiving end of that anger.

The rattlesnake grinned to himself. Remembering with sadistic satisfaction how he'd made Mayor John suffer; he'd dragged his pain out for days of torture before he'd finally drove his fangs into the tortoise's soft flesh. He'd then watched as John had writhed in pain in a very agonising death. Jake would have liked it to last hours, even just one hour would've been satisfactory – the same length as a human's pain. But John had died within minutes, and when he was dead, Jake had tossed his corpse out for the buzzards. Predators knew that prey that had gone bad was not fit for eating.

Bringing himself back to the present, Jake continued to easily keep pace with the roadrunner as he slithered along the desert behind the Sheriff. Neither he, nor the visibly still tense Sheriff tried to talk with one another, and that was fine with Jake. He wasn't one for idle chit-chat at the best of times, but with Rango's annoying habit of sprouting lies so thick Jake could smell them in the air, it made it even more unbearable.

Jake's hideout had only been an hour or two outside of town; it had only been a little bunker Jake had been staying in the past week whilst he'd been searching for work, and the Gunslinger's Court hadn't demanded his attention. He usually drifted from place to place wherever the work was; home was wherever his coils rested for the night. But there had been no work the past several weeks, adding to the rattlesnake's already tense frustrations. But he had something to do now, despite the fact that he knew this job was going to test his patience to its limit. Oh well, a horrid job was better then no job. It didn't take Rango and Jake long before they came back to town, and it was just on the outskirts that Jake felt his lips crack into a smirk as his tail rattled quietly with anticipation. He couldn't wait to see the looks on those little folks faces…

Whilst he'd never had a personal grudge against the people of the town in particular (that were still living) he'd never liked them either. They were small, weak willed, sheltered idiots who much rather thought as a herd then have any independent thought of their own. They were good folks, but not much else. So as he and Rango came right through the centre of town – the Sheriff looking increasingly uneasy – Jake enjoyed every single yelp, every stare, every sound of fleeing footsteps, every frozen face of horror, and then the delightful sound of a scream:

" _SNAKE_!"

The entire town seemed to erupt into panicked chaos as people fled into a thousand different directions. They tried to find cover, lock themselves inside, do anything they could to get out of Jake's way. As a predator, such fear made Jake want to snatch at one or two of the slower moving ones, but he decided against it, instead just enjoying watching them scramble to get away. Rango tried to call for their attention, but was barely audible above the yelling, and was struggling to keep control of his panicking Roadrunner at the same time.

Finally, when Jake was just about to lose his patience, Rango leapt off of his roadrunner and pointed his gun in the air as he fired a shot with a loud _'BANG!'_. Instantly, everyone froze and went silent, turning wide and terrified eyes towards the chameleon and the Rattlesnake that loomed ominously behind him.

"Now… I know this might seem a little… _curious_ …" Rango spoke loudly, but Jake could clearly hear the nervousness in his voice as he tried to address his town. "But I would like everyone to remain calm –"

"Calm?!" Cried the bird with an arrow through his eye. "You just brought in that serpentine devil!"

"He's gonna take us all down to Hell!" Shrieked a mole-woman.

"You better've brought him here to hang him, Sheriff!" Snarled a lynx with large whiskers.

"I'd like to see ya try…" Jake growled in a low and dangerous voice with a daring glare pointed at the Sheriff's back; he was just loud enough for Rango to hear as his rattle gave off a sharp ring in warning. The town backed up a little at the metallic sound, looking ready to bolt, but were frozen by the snake's hellfire stare. Rango visibly trembled a little in fear.

"Sheriff, get that no-legged varmint outta here 'efore he puts us in a pot an' serves us up for dinner!" The little old white rodent with a long beard shouted.

"Quite everybody! Now listen up!" Rango called out as the crowd began to get a little louder. "Now, I know that some of y'all are a little nervous of Mr Jake here…" Rango looked over his shoulder at Jake, who gave the Sheriff a curl of his lip. "But let me reassure everyone that there's nothing to fear. I have called on Jake here to help protect our town. He will abide by our contract, and will be as gentle as a lamb…" Jake gave a hard glare as he growled. "I hope…"

"Make no promises ya can't keep…" Jake hissed in a low voice. The crowd seemed unconvinced, but Jake couldn't care either way, and Rango seemed to act as if this conversation was over.

"Okay everyone, show's over! Go back to your business!" Jake shouted as he made a wave of his arm to shoo the citizens away. Everyone was all too happy to get clear of the Rattlesnake, all that is, except for the lizard in a blue dress and auburn hair. Jake recognised her as the one the Mayor had wanted to harass. He was rather surprised to see her stick around, though Rango smiled at her, though he seemed a little apprehensive. "Oh… H-Hey, Beans…"

"That was stupid, reckless and damn-near suicidal! I hope you know that." She bit out in a scolding tone as she glared at him.

"I-I do, yes…" Rango murmured. Watching their behaviour, it seemed that Jake had been right when he'd guessed there was something going on between these two…

"And I hope you know what you're getting yourself… and the town… into…" Beans trailed off as she nervously glanced up at Rattlesnake Jake, who leered down at her with his piercing eyes.

"Nice to see them pretty brown eyes o' yers… _Miss Beans…_ " He hissed out her name, enjoying the way she shivered and took an involuntary step back from him.

"Rango, please tell me you know what you're doing," She asked the chameleon in a whisper as she looked at him with those pleading and soft eyes.

"I'm trying to –" Rango went to say, when a noise interrupted him that had everyone looking up and down the street.

"It's them boys!" Came a shout as someone came running around the corner. "Them boys is back! They're gonna kill old Wesley!"

Without seeming to think about it, Jake took off. He was being paid to clear off all trespassers from this town, and he was gonna do just that. Despite the fact that he cared not at all for the town or its inhabitants or even the one who had employed him, Jake never did a bad job. It was not in his personality. He was barely aware of Rango and Beans running to keep up with him, but he paid them no attention as he came around the corner to a house made out of a tin can, just in time to see an old weasel-like thing was thrown out into the street.

Jake halted, testing the air with his tongue as he scented there were perhaps seven others here, the spoors all around where they had been were fuelled with aggression and excitement. The poor old coot hardly had the strength to get up from where he'd been thrown out of his own home, he looked practically ancient and beaten up in a very bad way. Beans and Rango wanted to go forward in order to help, but were stopped short when a chair was thrown through the window of the house, landing not far from Old Wesley, who flinched and cowered on the ground. From the can, came a rat and several other creatures of various different species, mostly mammals, all dressed similarly and in well-kept condition. In Jake's experience, that meant they were mercenaries who worked in a large group and had a very recent and wealthy employer.

"I won't say again." The rat laughed cruelly as he came strutting towards the cowered figure of the old man. Jake had to curl his lip at how badly the rat was doing his job if he wasn't even aware of Rango and Beans marching towards him as he pointed his gun at the old-timer. "You clear out, or you die out. This land doesn't belong to you… consider yourself evicted –"

"Now hold it right there!" Rango shouted loudly as he held up a hand, causing every eye to turn towards him.

"Sheriff! How nice to see you again…" The rat sneered in a way that made it clear that he felt the exact opposite.

"That's enough Tomson," Rango said in a hard tone. "The poor soul's had enough. Now you leave or things are gonna have to get real nasty –"

"You think you can pull another fast one on us?" The rat – Tomson, Jake assumed – laughed, and his six companions laughed with him. "You're outnumbered Sheriff, and you're outgunned. We ain't afraid of you no more."

"It ain't him ya gotta worry about…" Jake couldn't help his smirk as he growled out the words as he shook his tail, giving off a very loud and clear rattle. Everyone froze, and the mercenaries slowly slid their gaze upwards as they finally took notice of the huge rattlesnake – another sign of their poor skills, much to Jake's disgust.

"Th-Th-The Grim Reaper!" One of the mercenaries stuttered, eyes wide in pure terror.

"Good to see ya boys have some lick o' sense…" Jake's smirk was condescending as he fixed them with his blazing hellish eyes, keeping them still in his gaze as he come slowly closer. "But ya had none when ya called me out…"

"Now, h-hold on r-rattes-snake… w-w-we was just –" Tomson tried to say past his obvious terror.

"I was told ya was lookin' fer me." Jake asked with a slight impatient snap.

"What?! No!" Tomson's eyes grew wide with panic, tongue wetting his buck teeth as he tried to make his voice work. "We, w-we was…"

"Speak up, Boy!" Jake snarled. He hated mumbling.

"We wasn't looking for you!" Tomson blurted shrilly.

"You asked me where a snake was!" Rango interjected.

"Not this one!" Tomson shook his head quickly. "Some other snake! Not you, Mr Jake!"

"Too bad, this snake found you…" Jake growled.

"No – please!" The rat shamelessly begged, causing the rattlesnake to curl his lip. "We didn't mean nothin' by it! We was just doing our job!"

"Ya boys was real stupid in thinkin' you could claim hell without payin' the devil his due." Jake growled out as he came so close, his tongue could've caught the rat's jacket. "I don't like sloppy work… and you boys just made one hell've'a mess."

He sprang, so fast, no one could have stopped him even if they tried. He grabbed the rat in his mouth, though didn't sink his deadly fangs into his victim. Despite the fact that Tomson wasn't touched by Jake's potent poison, he still screamed as Jake's needle backward-facing teeth sunk into his flesh and hooked themselves in deep. Jake lifted the rodent into the air before tossing him aside and throwing him straight into another of his gang. The bodies hit together hard and bounced back quite a way. The rest of the mercenaries got over their shock and quickly descended into panic.

Beans and Rango hurriedly leapt into action as they ran to the weasel still too weak to get up as he lay on the floor. The two lizards quickly pulled old Wesley into cover as they dragged him out of the battlefield. Jake almost slithered right over them, not caring if they got in his way as he threw himself into the brawl.

As the mercenaries lost themselves to panic and chaos, the rattlesnake couldn't help but watch them, detesting their every move. The fact that they didn't even stand and fight him only proved Jake's theory that these boys were bullies who only picked on those weaker then them. Whilst Jake had no problem with that, as he often did it as part of his own job, it was the fact that these 'mercenaries' refused to fight him even for their own survival that only said that they were cowards. If it was one thing Jake couldn't stand more than liars, it was cowards. But he loved the violence, and he loved an easy fight, and quickly lost himself in it. Jake fired several shots at the mercenaries who tried to duck behind any cover they could find.

He was surprised when one brave soul tried to shoot him, but on reflex he dodged down at the sound of the loud shot. The bullet went wide anyway, and all it did was grab Jake's attention as he snapped his head around. His slit pupils thinned as he glared at a black flecked-white lizard who still had the gun in his hand. The lizard was paralysed with fear, only moving when he tried to run when he saw Jake swing his tail at him. But he moved too late, and Jake smashed his tail into the lizard thug, smacking him away up the street, his cries cut off as he hit the ground.

Disentangling himself from his fallen comrade, Tomson stood and shouted the retreat. Jake wasn't ready to give up the game yet, and quickly spun himself around a fleeing rabbit, wrapping him in his coils before he flung him out and into the side of Tomson, knocking the rat down again.

Seeing the damage the snake was doing to his brothers-in-arms, one of the mercenaries, a gopher, ran towards Jake and tried to throw a lasso onto his tail. Jake felt the rope try to catch onto his gun and snapped his burning gaze onto the fool that dared to try and touch him. He hissed angrily, reared his body up into the air, his shadow eclipsing the sun as it fell over his prey. The gopher abandoned the rope and tried to run, but before he could make it three steps, Jake smashed his body weight into the gopher, feeling a satisfying crunch as all the bones in the body were broken. He quickly moved away, revealing a flattened and disfigured corpse with a pool of blood quickly growing beneath it.

Seeing one of their own killed, those of the group of mercenaries that still remained, quickly turned and fled, running for all they were worth. Tomson was in the lead as he ran out of town as fast as his legs could carry him, his men following and screaming. Jake hissed when he saw that one of them was a little too slow. He quickly swept the end of his tail into the mercenary's legs, knocking him off of his feet with a yelp of pain and surprise. The mercenary rolled onto his back and looked up at Jake with wide and terrified eyes. Jake looked up at the road where the other Mercenaries were now beyond his reach, before turning to his final victim. The rattlesnake smiled cruelly as he held his Gatling Gun over the head of the trembling soul below him.

"Tell the devil I said 'Hi'." He murmured.

"No-!" The man tried to scream-

 _BANG!_

The body went still, never to move again.

"Jake!" The rattlesnake heard the Sheriff call out as he ran over. Jake, his blood still pumping with the excitement of the brawl, almost turned and hissed at the chameleon, but held himself back as he forced himself to calm down. He remembered when it used to be real easy to switch the violence on and off, it was what had really unnerved both his victims and his employers, but now it was a little more of a struggle. But he turned away from that thought as he focused on Rango's disgusted face as he stared in horror at the two bodies. "Did ya have to kill him?"

"I don't leave no place without takin' a soul, Sheriff," Jake replied with a slightly self-satisfied smirk. "Best it be one of these boys and not one o' yer good folks, eh?"

"But still, Jake…" Rango whined as if he knew the snake was right but still wanted to complain. Jake felt his eyes narrow as his patience already grew thin with the chameleon.

"I thought ya cared nothin' for these assholes…" The rattlesnake muttered.

"Yeah, but you can't go round killin' whoever you –"

"Remember our deal Sheriff!" Jake snarled, not in the mood to play nice as he rounded on Rango with blazing eyes. "You brought me in, now you lettme do my job!"

Rango tried to glare at him, but Jake's hellfire eyes pierced his soul it seemed, and Rango quickly backed down as he looked at the floor with a heavy sigh.

"What could he mean by a different snake? You're the only one's been here, Jake…" Rango murmured, trying to change the subject as he looked over where Tomson and the rest of his gang had gone.

"No he's not." Beans said as she came marching over from where she'd left old Wesley sat down leaning against a building on the opposite side of the street.

"What?" Both Rango and Jake said in unison as they turned to look at her, as if just remembering she was there.

"Jake ain't the only snake in the valley." Beans said as she did her best to not look at the two bodies as she came to stand close to Rango, seeming to instinctively curl closer to him as she avoided coming close to the rattlesnake. "Why, there's one who just lives outside of town. Her name's Grace Glossy, she owns a boar farm out there."

"Why didn't you mention this earlier, Beans?" Rango asked as if he were a little annoyed at this withheld information, and Jake was inclined to agree.

"'Cause I wasn't here when them boys said it earlier. And you ran off into the desert before ya could tell me what they wanted!" Beans snapped back at him.

"Oh… right…" Rango mumbled, and Jake rolled his eyes at the stupidity of what he was now forced to work with. "Well, I guess then, we go and see this Miss Glossy. See if she can answer a few questions."

* * *

 **Author's Note: A huge thank you to everyone who is reading and reviewing - I love you guys so much! Any comment is welcome, and I truly appreciate everything you say.**

 **Please don't forget to review!**


	3. Trouble's Knocking

Trouble's Knocking:

 _"But there she goes, Baby in her arms_

 _World on her shoulders when her day starts_

 _Working a job that don't pay much, but she thanks God it's enough…" – Clint Black 'The Strong One'_

* * *

The three of them travelled well outside of town, Beans leading the way on her own roadrunner with Rango by her side and Jake following behind. Jake honestly didn't want to be following these fools around, but it was either this or stick around in town with those frightened idiots. Neither option seemed pleasant, but Jake decided he'd pick the lesser of two evils – even if that options was only 'lesser' by a smidgen.

Jake didn't like other snakes. He usually never got on with them, simply because Jake was not a very easy person to get along with. This didn't help him come winter when rattlesnakes usually bunked together for body warmth during the short weeks they'd hibernate. Jake usually put off hibernating for as long as he possibly could, but when he eventually had no choice he found a quiet, warm, secure place for him to sleep alone. No one knew about it so they couldn't murder him in his sleep, though he was always a light sleeper, even in hibernation. Jake just detested the thought of squeezing himself into a group of other snakes. He'd had enough of that to last him a lifetime. The only other snakes he actually got along with were few and far in between, a few of them the whores he visited whenever he visited the town of Underpass-Market, which was three days journey further along the desert and close to the human road.

So, in truth, Jake was not looking forward to meeting this mysterious 'Miss Glossy'. Though he would admit that he was surprised to hear that this Glossy owned a farm, let alone a permanent residence. Snakes were not usually known for staying in one place too long, merely going wherever they could find food. This Grace Glossy was going against the grain if she not only had a permanent home, but she had a boar-farm. As predators, roadrunners and boars didn't like to be around snakes. And if Miss Glossy had been living here a while, he wondered how she hadn't been snatched up by that damn hawk when it'd come to town.

Jake gave an involuntary shiver. He hated even the idea of hawks. He hated being out here in the open as the afternoon drifted closer to sunset. He hated the fact that he was going to see a snake he would more than likely not get along with. He hated being employed by Rango… He hated everything about this job - and it hadn't even been a full day yet! Jake settled for the fact that this day wasn't going to end with him in a good mood. But as he kept trying to tell himself, some work was better than no work.

They'd gone quite a distance, at least enough that the Town of dirt was very far away and hardly noticeable from this distance. Jake would say this, this Glossy snake kept herself away from others. It was as they were moving that Jake heard Rango talking to Beans, and so decided to half-heartedly listen in on the conversation.

"So how do you know this Miss Glossy?" Rango asked his female companion as he rode beside her.

"She owns the boar-farm. Best animals in the valley. Half the boars I keep on my ranch I bought straight from her." Beans replied, her tense back and focus on Rango obvious to Jake that she was doing her best to ignore him.

"Oh, so you two are friends?" Rango asked with raised brows.

"I wouldn't say that." Beans quickly corrected. "It's more of a professional relationship. I only see her when I need to."

"How comes I've never seen her in town before?" The Sheriff asked. Jake was also curious for that answer, for he'd never known another snake was near the town.

"She's a very private person." The desert-iguana shrugged. "Doesn't leave her farm much, doesn't try and disrupt the folks in town."

"So how do you know her?" Rango asked.

"Her daddy and my daddy used to do business. When Grace took over the farm and I filled in my daddy's duties, we just carried on as they did."

"Is she dangerous?" Rango asked with a little nervousness in his voice. Jake had to roll his eyes. If he'd never seen how the Sheriff had saved his entire town with only a single bullet, he wouldn't even believe the chameleon possessed a spine.

"She don't got no venom." Beans reassured him with a small smile.

"So she's a vegetarian?"

"What? No!" Beans looked at Rango like he'd sprouted another head before rolling her eyes at the exact same time as Jake. "She's a glossy-snake, Rango, she's a constrictor."

"Oh…" Was all Rango said. Jake muttered under his breath, and decided to tune out the rest of the conversation.

But it wasn't long after that, as they came around an outcropping of large boulders, that they finally reached their destination. Two large paddocks fenced-in with crudely-made wooden fences sat either side of a dirt track that led all the way up to a wooden house. It was a simple looking house made out of an old human wooden chest with a roof planted onto the curving top. Windows had been sawed out of the front, along with a big front door. The house even had a front porch. It was a house that Jake knew even he would be able to fit inside – which was something to take note of as he hardly ever was able to fit into any type of building. Painted white with golden-brown window shutters and window-frames, the house had a very "homey" feel to it, even if it was looking a little battered by the weather and as if it hadn't had any money spent on renovation in a _long_ time. A huge human wooden crate was behind and to the side of the house and had been turned into a huge barn. Fenced in paddocks and fields surrounded the house and covered the property, and Jake could hear and smell a herd of boar out in one of the back fields behind the house and out of sight.

"Right, here we are." Beans said, reminding Jake of the presence of his current company, as she and Rango dismounted their roadrunners and held the reins. Before they could go around the cover that the boulders provided and march up to the house, however, Beans turned and glared rather boldly up at Jake. "You need to stay put."

"What?" He bit out in confusion.

"You don't get to come in with us." She crossed her arms defiantly, and tried to hide the way she involuntarily flinched when Jake gave an indignant rattle of his tail.

"Ya don't get to give me orders, little missy!" He growled at the desert-iguana threateningly.

"Grace won't want your sort on her farm, so I suggest you keep your ass outta sight before she –"

"Sheriff, ya need to keep control o' yer woman before I break every bone in her body!" Jake snarled as he tried to ignore Beans' words that were really trying his patience as he turned on Rango.

"He don't contro–!" Beans almost shouted.

"Beans!" Rango quickly quietened her when he put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll handle this…" He said softly before he turned to look at Jake nervously. "Jake, if there's a chance Miss Glossy might be more co-operative without you–"

Jake rolled his eyes with a loud and frustrated growl, muttering to himself about the idiocy of fools as he turned away from the Sheriff and began to slither over the boulders off-direction of the house. Rango and Beans watched him go, not going in the direction of town, nor headed where they needed to go either, both of the lizards looked baffled.

"Hey, where you going?!" Rango called out to the retreating tail.

"None o' yer damn business!" Jake shouted back.

"Well…" Rango murmured uneasily as he turned back towards Beans with a shrug. "Looks like it's just you and me…"

Giving him a reassuring smile, Beans and Rango walked up the dirt path alone towards the house. Rango seemed physically jumpy all the way up that long dirt road, as if he expected a female version of Jake to spring out of the shadows – though for a moment he was stumped as he didn't exactly know what a female version of Jake would be like, unless someone put lipstick on the real Jake. Despite this hilarious yet suicidal thought, Rango was startled into the present when he heard a door creak, and snapped his attention up to the house as a figure came onto the front porch.

A snake watched them approach, and as her body hit the sunlight, Rango was stumped by how different she looked to what he had been expecting. He'd expected a huge, muscular, threatening-looking serpent that looked as if it had come straight out of hell, much like Jake. What he got however, was something completely different. The woman on the porch was graceful and calm as she reared her head up to better look at them, and the rest of her coils were curled softly behind her. The female snake had scales the colour of soft cream, though along her back were brown spots that went from the back of her head to the tip of her tail, with brown dots flanking each spot. Her scales seemed to be well kept, and unlike Jake's that were hard, rough and overlapping like a suit of armour, this snake's scales were smooth and could only be described as 'glossy' as they had a particular shine in the late afternoon sun. Her head wasn't triangular like Jake's either, as instead it was long and more thinner. She had lovely brown eyes, and round pupils, not slit ones like Jake had. Like Jake, she had no clothes as-such, but around her neck was a small black lace ribbon with a little white pendant on the front, something that was the height of fashion amongst some of the women in town. The snake on the porch, from what Rango could see, must have been a couple of inches off of five feet, making her shorter then Jake and she also looked a lot slimmer.

As the female snake watched them approach, Rango had no doubt in his mind that this was Grace Glossy. But he still tentatively asked loudly as he approached: "Are you Miss Grace Glossy?"

"I am." Said the woman in a firm yet soft voice. Her voice sounded older then Rango was expecting, for he'd thought her to be a late-teenager, but she had the voice (and posture now that he thought about it) of an older woman. The snake – Grace – turned her gaze away from Rango as she looked over at Beans. "Afternoon, Miss Beans," She nodded with a small and polite smile. "Must say, I wasn't expecting you here."

"Sorry Miss Glossy," Beans said with a slight shrug. "Didn't mean to intrude, but this ain't a social call. Sheriff Rango here wanted to ask you a few questions."

Grace turned her gaze back onto Rango, her brows lifting in surprise as she studied him from top to bottom. Rango, out of courtesy, took of his hat as he nodded to her.

"You're the new Sheriff?" She asked. "I'd heard about you, but never thought I'd see you."

"Howdy Miss Glossy," He smiled a little nervously. "Don't want you to think we're here for trouble. Just wanted to ask you a few questions."

"Oh, of course. Go ahead." Grace said with a serious nod. Rango blinked, a little surprised by her response.

"You're rather willing to comply…" He murmured, unsure of what to make of this. He had been expecting more resistance then this.

"You're the Sheriff, Mr Rango," Grace said with a respectful nod – further surprising the hell out of Rango. "You want to uphold the law, and so do I. I have nothing to hide, and though I've done nothing, anything I can do to help is what I want."

Despite his shock at this answer, Rango found a small smile growing across his face. He had a feeling he would like Grace Glossy.

"Okay then," He said. "Are you aware that Mud has been having trouble lately with Mercenaries of a sort?"

"I heard some things these past weeks," Grace nodded. "I usually see them go by on the horizon when they go into Town. I don't usually get any visitors here."

"Do you not get out much then?" Rango asked but was smacked on the arm by Beans.

"No." The glossy snake replied softly. "I have a lot to do here, so I'm kept pretty busy. And I like being away from the hustle and bustle of the crowd."

"Do you have any enemies, Miss Glossy?" Rango asked the question so suddenly and openly that Grace blinked in shock as she stared down at the chameleon.

"I'm sorry, what?" She asked.

"Do you have anyone who you would wish any physical harm?" Rango clarified.

"No! Not at all!" Grace seemed genuinely aghast at the very idea.

"Have you ever had a run-in with any bad kind of people?" The sheriff asked.

"No, Mr Rango, I pride myself on staying on the right side of the law." Grace said somewhat angrily as if she was offended that he would think otherwise. "What kind of question is that?"

"Just covering the bases, Miss Glossy, I don't mean anything by it." Rango held up his hands. Grace huffed but seemed to accept his answer. "Do you know anyone who would wish you harm?"

"No. Like I said: I keep to myself and keep to the law and avoid trouble. Now what does all this questioning mean?" Grace pressed.

"Miss Glossy," Rango began slowly. "One of the men in question today, said he was looking for a snake… we assume it to be you…"

"Me?" Grace blinked as her eyes widened in shock. "Why would he want me? I ain't done nothing!"

"That's why I'm asking if you would know anything about who might want to get to you." Rango said.

"No." Grace shook her head. "I have no idea why anyone would –" Grace suddenly cut herself off and stared out to the side. At first, Rango thought that she was doing 'a Beans' and freezing as part of a survival reflex. But then he saw the her pupils shrank, and how her breathing picked up. Following her gaze, Rango saw the boulders just beyond the fence of her front yard, and a certain shadow hiding within them. Two hellfire eyes blazed with an eerie glow from the darkness. Looking back at Grace, he saw her gaze fixed on those eyes and her face contorted with terror.

"Miss Grace –" Rango attempted to quickly say, but was too late.

Grace bolted. She sprang right off of the porch and over Beans and Rango, who instinctively ducked to avoid being hit. The glossy snake slithered so fast that she was like a lightning strike as she hurriedly went around the side of her house towards her barn, a gleam of desperate fear in her eyes. There was a snarl as Jake sprang from his position in the shadows of the boulders and launched himself right into her path. Grace shrieked and made to swerve around him, catching the rattlesnake off guard a little. She almost managed to slip past him before he suddenly slammed his coils into her, knocking Grace to the ground. She coughed as the wind was pushed from her lungs, before writhing and attempting to get loose, and even hissed as she whirled to face her captor. But Jake placed more of his superior weight onto her, before cocking his gun and aiming it for her head.

"Hold it right there, gorgeous," Jake leered down at her, his tone sickly sweet, the threat only thinly veiled as his fangs were half unsheathed. "Can't have ya wrigglin' too far off, now can we."

"Get your filthy coils off me!" Grace hissed with fury as she continued to struggle against him.

"I'd quit it if I were you, woman." Jake growled at her, though kept his smile as if he wanted her to push his buttons, wanted her to make him shoot her. "Or else I'm gonna have ta put a bullet in that pretty face."

Grace hissed again, before managing to get the end of her tail free and wrapped it around Jake's gun, jerking it away from her face. Jake grit his teeth as he tried to force it back, but he couldn't get enough leverage on it without shifting position – and this snake was already slippery enough, he didn't want to give her any more room to move.

"Stubborn woman!" He snarled at her. "I'll choke the life right outta yer lungs!" And he intended to as he pinched the coils lying on top of her throat in an attempt to strangle her. Grace gasped and wheezed for breath, struggling all the harder as her brown eyes fluttered in panic –

"Jake! That's enough!" Rango shouted loudly as he and Beans came racing around the corner.

"Just doin' my job, Sheriff." Jake said nonchalantly, not taking his eyes off of the snake beneath him.

"She's no use to anybody dead, Jake, no get off of her." Rango yelled with a real ferocity that was very rare for him. When Jake either ignored him or pretended not to hear, Rango pulled out his gun, and pointed it straight at Jake's head. "I said: enough!"

Jake went still as he turned his head to regard the Sheriff. His eyes flickered to the gun before looking up into Rango's eyes. There was no hesitancy, no bluff. It was that look that Jake knew well, what he'd called the 'killer in the eyes'. A low rumble escaped Jake as he furiously curled his lip at the chameleon.

"Ya best think _real_ carefully before ya point that gun at _me_ , Sheriff." Jake growled out dangerously, about three seconds away from striking Rango as he felt the fury build inside him.

"I won't have to if you let her go." Rango said in a low voice.

There was a long moment of complete and utter silence as the mental battle was waged between Rango and Jake. Both glared at the other, neither one seemed willing to back down. But Jake was smart enough to know when he was at a disadvantage. With a gun pointed between his eyes, and his own Gatling Gun restrained by the glossy snake still, the odds were not in his favour. Jake sent a hateful glare at Rango that promised death sooner or later, it was a look that would have made any lesser creature cower in fear of their life. Rango barely managed to keep a shudder from showing. Jake slowly moved off of Grace, the glossy snake heaving as she coughed and coiled herself into a tight knot as she slowly raised herself up.

"Now, Miss Grace, I apologise." Rango said as he gave Jake one last cautious glance, before turning back to the glossy snake. "We're trying to keep peace in our town, and –"

"So you attack me?!" She snarled, her brown eyes looking absolutely livid. It was a look so different from her previously calm and respectful demeanour that Rango flinched back at the tone. "I've not done anything!"

"Then why was you running?" Beans asked, her eyes narrowed in slight suspicion.

"Any sane person should run when they see _that_ coming for them!" Grace spat as she glared at Jake, who smirked.

"You know Jake?" Rango asked, confused.

"I ain't never seen her before in my life." Jake growled out.

"No, we haven't met." Grace agreed, her eyes still fuming. "But it don't take an idiot with two brain cells to figure out who you are. Everyone knows to recognise those eyes."

"Consider yerself lucky these eyes didn't send ya to hell." Jake threatened with a twisted and sadistic glint in his eyes.

"I want you the hell off my property." Grace growled out in a low and furious voice. "No outlaw _filth_ will ever be allowed on my land."

"What are ya, some saint?" The rattlesnake sneered.

"Unlike you, I uphold the law." She spat. "Anyone who doesn't ain't welcome here."

"Ya shine those goody-two-shoes real bright, don't ya." Jake said condescendingly, though his expression was filled with disgust. "Such sweetness is enough to make my teeth rot."

"It'd be an improvement." The glossy snake murmured.

"I'd watch that mouth o' yers, woman." He growled in a warning tone, his pupils becoming thinner as he bunched his coils in preparation to strike again.

"Don't you dare think that you can threaten m–!" Grace shrieked –

"Mamma?"

Everyone froze in place, completely caught unawares by the new voice, as it seemed so out of place amongst the hostility present in the adults. It took Rango, Beans and Jake a moment to register that the voice had sounded young, which only made them more confused as they tried to process this sudden interruption. But Grace was the first one to react, as she quickly turned to look behind her as a figure came out of the barn, the direction that Grace had been trying to escape towards.

"Teddy!" Grace gasped in relief before something launched itself at her. She caught it in her coils and held it close to her body as she nuzzled it, with sweet breathes of thanks to whatever gods would listen.

It was then that the strangers saw what it was that Grace held. A little snake, it could barely be considered no better than a worm, obviously a child, and by the sound of its voice, it was a little boy. From what they could see, the little snake was quite different from Grace. His scales were more of a dusty yellow colour, with two black lines running straight down the length of his long neck. But at his body, the lines broke up into a pattern like leopard-print; not at all like Grace's neat row of brown spots. The child-snake had a black line that went across his nose and down to the corners of his eyes. But his eyes were the biggest clue of all: The child's pupils were round instead of slit, and the iris was the same gorgeous brown as Grace's.

Despite the very strange differences, by looking at their eyes, there was no doubt in anyone's mind, that this was Grace's son.

It was a shock to take in to say the least. Two of the three strangers hadn't been expecting this.

"Oh…" Rango said slowly as he looked to Beans for help before turning back to Grace and the boy she held with a nervous smile. "I wasn't aware that there was another party here. What's his name?"

"Theodore." Grace said quietly, before looking at the boy in her coils and motioning with her head towards Rango when he looked up at her. "Teddy, you say hello to the Sheriff."

"Hello, Sheriff, sir." Theodore – or 'Teddy' – said to Rango with a respectful nod of his head, as if he'd rehearsed this greeting many times. Jake rolled his eyes with a snort.

"Howdy there little partner." Rango smiled back cheerfully as he tipped his hat to the boy.

"Hello, Miss Beans." Teddy nodded to Beans as he gave her a small familiar smile.

"Good to see ya, Teddy." Beans' own lips tugged into a smile as she nodded to the little snake.

"I wasn't aware that you were married, Miss– Err, I mean, _Mrs_ Glossy." Rango said to Grace.

"Rango, please shut up." Beans whispered to the Sheriff.

Surprisingly, Grace scowled at Rango.

"So, uh, where is Mr Glossy then?" Rango asked, not heeding the signals both women were giving him.

"There is no 'Mr Glossy'." Grace said icily. Rango was about to ask why, when he was interrupted by Jake's loud snort of amusement.

"This a product of _indiscretion_ from Miss do-gooder?" Jake grinned smugly as he nodded towards the child in Grace's coils before looking back up at the mother. Grace's expression was so furious it could have rivalled Jake's own as she glared at the rattler murderously.

"My _husband_ is wherever he wants to be." She spat out the words like they were acid.

"You don't know?" Rango couldn't help but blurt out the question.

"Nope." Grace snapped. "I haven't seen him since he walked out that door. You ever find him, you can ask all the questions you like. And you tell him I said 'go to hell'."

"Okay… this escalated quickly…" Rango murmured, starting to feel extremely uncomfortable under the focus of Grace's cold words. "You run this farm and take care of your son all by yourself, Grace?"

"You act as if it's surprising a woman can cope, Rango." Beans narrowed her eyes at the chameleon as she folded her arms across her chest.

"Yeah, I do." Grace nodded, her tone a little softer this time now that they were not on such a sensitive subject. "It don't pay much, but we get by."

"You own the land?" Rango asked.

"Yes I do, thank you very much." Grace snapped as if she were offended by the question. "This farm is in my name, under my daddy's will. I run this farm, I work honestly, I trade fairly and I keep to the law. Now, was there anything else you needed, Sheriff?"

"Err, no, Miss Grace, I think that's it." Rango said quickly.

"Then I'd like it very much if you would take _him_ off of my property and away from my son, please." Grace said as she glared at Jake, who smirked back at her, goading her on.

"Okay then…" Rango licked his lip, feeling the tension mounting in the air. "We'll be going then. Come on Beans. Jake. Thank you for your help Miss Grace!"

"Sheriff Rango." Grace nodded to the Sheriff respectfully as they turned to leave.

"See ya 'round, Grace." Beans said with a nod to the glossy snake.

"Miss Beans." The female snake nodded back. "I'll be having a new set of piglets in a few months if you want first pick to replace Old Buck."

"Much appreciated." Beans said as she turned to follow Rango back round the side of the house and off of the farm. Jake went to slither after them, but paused as he passed Grace and her son, before turning to look at them both with a small smirk.

"Be careful, Miss _Grace_ …" He hissed out her name with a hint of his fangs in the evening light. He saw her spine stiffen as he said her name, and for extra emphasis, he glanced at her son in her coils before looking back up at her. "Ya never know when the devil will come knockin'…"

"I'll keep that in mind." She hissed out at him in a deadly cold and quiet voice filled with defiance. "Now get going!"

Jake chuckled to himself darkly as he turned and slithered his way where Rango and Beans had gone. He only turned to look back once when he was at the end of the dirt road, and saw Grace and her son on their porch watching and making sure he left. Jake smiled to himself. Despite the fact that Grace was a pain in the ass, she was fun to torment, and he liked the fact that she fought back. Many women cowered under his tyranny, there were not many spitfires who were willing to bite him back. As he carried on slithering on his way into the sunset back to Mud, he knew that if he ever saw her again – which he hoped wasn't soon – she might be fun to kill.

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 **Author's Note: A huge thank you to everyone who's reviewing, favourite, and followed this story - you guys make my day!**

 **I hope people have been paying attention to the songs I put at the beginning of each chapter. I'll be putting them up because I think these country songs (to befit the Western genre of this story) either really fit the character or really capture the emotion of the chapter. The one I said at the beginning of this chapter, "The Strong One" by Clint Black, I think really describes Grace perfectly, like the song was meant for her. Give it a listen, its really lovely.**

 **Just so that people know, I picture Jake to be in his forties by human-standards, so I want Grace in her thirties, and Teddy is about the equivalent of a ten year old. I'm not quite sure how the animals age in the world of Rango, whether it's how they would naturally or if it's human-length considering they're anthropomorphic, but anyway, with this you can decide for yourselves.**

 **So I hope you guys liked Grace, and your excited for where I take this, because next chapter is when the plot really begins to get into gear.**

 **Please don't forget to review!**


	4. Midnight Rodeo

Midnight Rodeo

 _"I'm goin' home, gonna load my shotgun, Wait by the door and light a cigarette_

 _If he wants a fight well now he's got one, And he ain't seen me crazy yet…" – Miranda Lambert 'Gunpowder And Lead'_

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The sun was gone and the moon had risen, but the heat of the day had not completely left the desert yet, but Jake knew it wouldn't be long before even that happened. He knew he probably had an hour or two left before the night would get so cold he would need to bunker down to sleep and conserve his warmth. Sometimes he thought the desert was a woman who was bipolar: beautiful when she wanted to be and hot as the sun during the day, but then she would turn deadly to the point of being psychotic and at night be freezing cold.

But it didn't matter what the desert was _like_ , all he knew for a _fact_ was that it was going to get very cold very soon and he needed to cover as much ground as possible before then. He was out on a sort of patrol to make sure any of those boys from today weren't being completely stupid and sticking around the area. But some part of him almost hoped they were, so he could finish them off. Whilst Jake loved violence he was getting to the point where it was getting too late and too cold and he just wanted to go to bed.

Besides, he had a good bed to look forward to. Rango and he had managed to sort out his payment and accommodation after they'd gotten back from Miss Glossy's farm. The town hall had been rebuilt and Jake (seeing as he could fit in there) was going to sleep in there and the Mayor's fortune was to be handed to him as soon as the job was done. Nothing could be more simpler, and he was looking forward to smashing every single thing Mayor John had previously owned.

As Jake slithered about in the dusty expanse of the desert, he looked back at the town of Mud which was a safe distance away from him. Rango had suggested he go patrol and hunt away from the folk of the town in order to not disturb them. Jake couldn't help but roll his eyes with disgust. Those people were going to be frightened of him whether he was two feet or two hundred feet away, so he really didn't see the point of pandering to them like this. But then again, if it gave him a little bit of peace he wouldn't mind it so much. As he looked at the town, he wondered if it was time to head back, maybe get a quick drink at the saloon before heading for sleep. He doubted the atmosphere in the saloon would be welcoming long enough for him to have more than one drink, if Jake ever had more than one. He never got drunk; considering what he'd seen it do, he'd never let it do that to him.

Turning around and heading back towards the town, Jake's mind was so completely elsewhere, that he almost missed the high pitched sound the echoed to him faintly on the wind. He stopped, fiery eyes that glowed in the darkness of the night narrowing as he concentrated to listen. He heard it again, a strange screaming sound but like something that couldn't be made by any person. Flickering out his tongue, Jake sampled the wind, and as his tongue flicked against the roof of his mouth he managed to identify different, if far-off scents. One in particular he could smell, was soot and smoke, like from a fire, though not the kind that burns nicely in a hearth. And then there was another scent, extremely faint and hardly there, but still enough to make his slit pupils become paper thin as his predator senses tingled. Blood.

And just like that he was heading towards the direction of the noises and the scents, thoughts of going to bed discarded. Call it curiosity, or wanting to muscle in on any prey that was going to be available, or the fact that he was doing what he was being paid to do. Whatever way one looked at it, Jake was grumbling to himself grouchily as he slithered as fast as he could in the direction that his flicking tongue told him to go. It wasn't until he reached the outcrop of boulders that he recognised where he was, as the desert could look completely different at night and get even the most well-versed traveller lost. Eyes widening as he rounded the corner, wondering what had brought him here, he was unprepared for the chaos that he was met with.

The fences were trampled and broken and he could see over two dozen boars stamping and running in circles as masked riders on roadrunners circled them, carrying flaming torches in their hands and guns in the other. The pigs were screaming, several cut from grazed bullets and what appeared to be burns. The riders kept making charges at the pigs, whistling loudly and making shouts and aggressive noises, trying to work the beasts into a frenzy. The trickles of blood and the screams of fear were enough to make Jake's predatory instincts take hold of his senses for a brief moment as realised that he was a little hungry…

But a shout shook him from his momentary lapse of control as he saw a familiar serpentine figure amongst the chaos. Grace Glossy was at the edge of the horde of boars, shouting at the riders that kept trying to hurt her animals, trying to slap at them with her whip-like tail, or fake a lunge to scare their roadrunners out of the charge. All the while she was trying to protect her livestock, the animals came near to trampling her as they blindly stamped about, forcing her to back away. He saw her try to calm them, but it was of no use. Looking at the glossy snake closely, he saw that despite her furious expression, her lip was split and bleeding slightly and her face looked like it had been battered once or twice. But she was still doing her best to try and run off the trespassers, and failing. Noticing that her offspring wasn't anywhere near her, Jake cast his red eyes about, until he looked at the house that was surprisingly untouched by the thieves, and saw a little head poking out of the window and watching the scene from the second floor.

As one rider came too close, Jake launched himself at the man and roadrunner, slamming his coils into both and crushing them in one strike. Then turning his hellfire eyes onto the remaining company that didn't seem to have noticed his entrance, Jake cocked his tail and began to shoot. The loud and rapid shots seemed to thunder even over the racket that the thieves were making, and as Jake began to shoot them down with astonishing aim, they all began to look towards him, eyes widening. Their roadrunners began to panic when they saw their own begin to fall dead, and the boars were not made any happier by the stench of death and loud gunshots.

When their shock initially passed, the thieves quickly ducked for whatever cover they could find, before trying to shoot back. Jake ducked behind a hay bale, the only thing large enough to offer him any cover, no matter the fact that it wasn't good cover. He looked over to see Grace duck behind the corner of her house to avoid any stray bullets, her eyes wide and fearful as she kept glancing up at the window of her house. Teddy had thankfully ducked down out of sight when the bullets had started flying, and she turned her head to glare at Jake.

"What the hell are you doing?!" She shouted in order to be heard above the cacophony.

"Savin' yer ass!" Jake snarled back as he ducked out of cover to shoot at the enemy, hitting two and hearing their bodies drop.

"You'll hit my livestock!" He heard her yell.

"Shut up and lettme do my job, woman!" He roared snappily.

Seeing that they were losing the fight, the thieves quickly looked about, before one let off a shot that broke the lock of the gate to the current paddock the boars were in. One, a rodent of some description, ran for all he was worth, dodging bullets, and went behind the boars, brandishing his torch. Seeing what he was trying to do, Jake took a shot at him, but was too late. The boars screeched when the flames got too close, and seeing that they now had an escape route out of their confinement, they quickly took it. Stampeding their way free, the boars thundered out of the paddock, squeezing together and having to slow down in their attempt to get free.

"My Boars!" Grace exclaimed, eyes widening as she launched herself from her cover and raced like lightning towards the open gate. Jake's eyes widened, jaw dropping at the boldness of this female.

"Keep yer head down, stupid woman!" He snarled after her as he tried to shoot the thieves before they noticed her. But what was really strange to Jake, was that the thieves didn't once try to shoot her. They noticed her, but let her make her way towards the gate, never once risking a shot. It was very odd behaviour for wranglers such as these.

Grace managed to make it to the gate and slammed it shut, even when the boars tried to ram it back open, threatening to send her flying. But the glossy snake managed to hold her ground, though barely as she kept the gate to the paddock shut before wedging it closed with a rock. She looked about, noticing almost half her herd gone, with some of the thieves jumping onto their roadrunners and running after the livestock and disappearing into the night. Jake saw the scowl that twisted the female's face as she turned her gaze onto the stragglers that still remained.

"That's it!" She hissed before racing back into the house and slamming the door behind her. Jake growled after her, some help _she_ was.

Knowing that he would soon run low of bullets and have to reload, the rattlesnake decided it was best for a different plan of attack. He waited until he heard the rate of fire stop on the two remaining thieves as they reloaded, before he sprang from behind his cover and slithered as fast as he could towards them, a monstrous hiss erupting from his open jaws, fangs bared. The thieves shrieked as they saw death itself about to –

 _Bang!_ Grace's front door flew open as she came storming out of it, surprising both Jake and the two remaining thieves. She came towards them with that scowl still on her face, and something in the coils of her tail. Coming until she was a good six feet away, she then swung her tail and revealed she had a huge shotgun in her grasp. Her tail curled around the handle with the tip against the trigger, the barrel of the gun resting on one of her coils as she aimed it right at the two thieves.

In a split decision moment made by a suspiciously familiar-looking rat, the masked thief hurled his flaming torch where it landed on the hay bale that Jake had previously been using for cover. Both snakes whirled around as the hay bale erupted into flames, Grace fearful that it might set something else on fire, but it didn't. The two turned back, only to find the thieves on their roadrunners and already disappearing into the night.

"No…" Jake heard the glossy snake murmur as she quickly went to the pen containing her remaining – and still panicking – animals. She counted them silently, her scaly features becoming more stricken by the moment. "Damn it!" She cursed loudly as she threw her gun to the ground. "Those bastards got away with half of my pigs! Including most of my sows! The whole spring's work – gone!"

"Don't get yer tail in a twist –" Jake growled out irritably, but was very surprised when Grace whirled around to glare at him.

"No! You don't get it!" She shouted at him loudly. "My livestock are my livelihood – the only thing keeping me and my boy afloat! Without them, I'd be broke in no time at all."

"Quit yer whinin', woman," Jake snapped, not at all in the mood for her impertinent tone. "No point cryin' over spilt milk."

"Don't know why you'd care – or why you're even here!" She glared at him.

"The Sheriff paid me to keep boys like them out – unfortunately, that means I have to stick up fer you too." Jake curled his lip at her. "Ya prefer I let them take everything?!"

Grace looked as if she was about to shout something back at him, but sighed and shook her head as she turned away. Jake glanced down at the discarded shotgun, and a thought flashed across his mind that made him smirk slightly to himself.

"Was miss do-gooder actually gonna shoot somebody?" He asked. "I thought that would be outside the law." He meant to say it in order to rile her up, but was very surprised when she gave a small smirk.

"I was." She said as she looked at him with a tired expression. "But I'm sure he'd live if I shot him in his kneecaps."

Jake nodded at the answer, disappointed that he hadn't gotten the reaction he'd wanted, but a little amused at her words. He then noticed her split lip and a red mark on her cheek, and frowned.

"Somebody slap ya?" He asked.

"Yeah," Grace murmured, touching the tip of her tail to her lip before wincing. "When I first came out to stop them, one thought I'd do the womanly thing of cowering in the corner after he kicked me in the face and slapped me about. But he wanted a fight; I gave him one. Slapped him through the air."

Despite himself, Jake's lips twitched into a slight grin.

They heard the clatter of claws in the dirt, and turned, expecting to see the thieves return for more, and braced themselves for another fight, Jake's eyes lighting up with eagerness. But then, from around the corner of boulders came none other than the Sheriff Rango and several of his companions. Grace visibly relaxed, but Jake felt his ire grow a little.

"What ya doing here, Sheriff?" He asked loudly and irritably.

"Heard the gunfire from town, Jake!" Rango called out, beady eyes alert as he hopped off of his roadrunner and began to look about. The crow Wounded Bird, the toad Bufford, and the mouse Spoons were with him as they walked onto the farm. The three companions of the sheriff looked very uneasy when they saw Grace, and then looked ready to bolt when they laid eyes on Jake.

"Quit yer prancin' about, Sheriff," Jake snapped impatiently when Rango still seemed jumpy for the slightest sign of danger. "Yer too late, them boys is long gone."

"Oh… right." Rango murmured as he stood with a slightly embarrassed look. "Well what happened here then?"

"I'm sure Mr Jake can fill you in on that, Sheriff," Grace said with a gesture of her head towards the rattler. "I need to go and check on my son."

"Of course, Miss Grace," Rango nodded quickly. Grace returned the gesture before slithering back towards her house, noticing when Bufford, Wounded Bird and Spoons cringed away from her as she passed them. The Glossy Snake seemed a little disappointed by their reaction, but ignored them as she went on her way, her son already at the front door waiting for her.

Jake briefly told Rango his side of the story, with as few words as his patience would allow. Grace made sure her son was unharmed before taking him back inside to put him back to bed, and was gone for perhaps ten minutes. Rango and those he'd brought with him leafed through the scene, taking care of the bodies and trying to look for any clues as to who these boys were. But they found nothing, and Jake knew they wouldn't, they were far too useless in order to actually come up with any results. So he just sat by the fence, coiled up and watched everything with a disinterested look. Now that the adrenaline had faded, and the night had worn on, it was getting very cold and the snake conserved whatever warmth the fire from the burning hay bale could offer before he would need to make the trek back to town. That warm bed sounded good about now…

He was lost in his own thoughts to such a degree that he didn't notice Grace approach him until she was only a short distance from him. He glanced at her with a bored expression. She looked over at her remaining livestock that were now beginning to calm, before looking back at him, a confused and frustrated expression on her face. Finally she sighed before she looked back up at him with determination.

"I… I just wanted to… uh, thanks." She forced out, begrudgingly saying the words. "For your help tonight. I know you don't care, but without you I could've probably lost more of my stock. So thanks."

"Took ya long enough. I thought yer manners had been slapped outta yer head." He snapped in a low and quiet voice. He glanced back at her to see her scowling, but met her eyes before nodding his head in recognition of her words. Jake wasn't the type to gush over things like this. People usually cursed his name, not thanked him, and he was normally fine with that. Still, it was good once in a while to be shown a little gratitude.

Grace nodded back to him before turning away. Jake was glad that she hadn't made a big thing of it, and turned his attention back to the dwindling fire.

"Miss Grace!" Rango called as he came up to the glossy snake. "You okay?"

"A little battered and tired, but I'm okay. Thank you, Sheriff." Grace nodded to the chameleon with a small smile.

"That's good," Rango smiled. "Listen, I know that tonight was a little rough, and ya probably want your beauty sleep. But in the morning, I'd like you to come by the sheriff's office, to give your official statement on the happenings of this nocturnal disaster."

"Oh no!" Grace gasped as her eyes went wide. "Mr Rango, please, I think that's a bad idea… I think I should just, you know, stay away from the town. Probably best not to bother with this –"

"Now miss Grace," Rango said over her in a smooth and self-assured manner, as if he knew everything. "Won't be havin' any of that. This is now under official investigation and as such we'll be needing your side of things as evidence. This is the way the law works, miss Grace."

"But –" She went to protest but Rango held up a hand.

"I insist!" He smiled. "Don't worry, miss Grace, I won't bite."

"It's not _you_ I'm worried about." Grace grumbled under her breath as she cast a wary eye at the other citizens of Mud on her property. "Fine."

"Good!" The Sheriff grinned. "I'll see you there at 10am. Town would love to see ya!"

"I doubt that…" Grace murmured as she looked over in the direction of Mud, where in the day time one would be able to see its shadow on the horizon. Her stomach sagged, it had been a long night and now it looked like she'd have a long day tomorrow too…

* * *

 **Please Review!**


	5. Prejudice

**Author's Note: I just wanted to thank each and every one of you for reviewing! I'm so happy that people are enjoying this so far, and I hope I continue to please :) I seriously would be nothing without you guys! So please enjoy.**

* * *

Prejudice

 _"Then you have the nerve to tell me you think that as a mother I'm not fit,_

 _Well, this is just a little Peyton Place and you're all Harper Valley hypocrites," - Jeannie C. Riley 'Harper Valley PTA'_

* * *

Grace felt as if her stomach was tying itself in knots. She kept grinding her teeth as a form of nervous habit, and every few feet she was tempted to turn back. But knowing that she had no choice, she forced herself to slither onwards. With deep breaths in and out and having to remind herself that she shouldn't be nervous, that she had nothing to hide, she only just managed to keep the worst of her anxiety at bay.

That, and the fact that her over excitable son was extremely eager to see the town of Mud.

"Do you think it will be big, Momma?" He asked as he looked up at her from where he slithered beside her with a huge grin. "What 'bout the houses? Will they be bigger then you?"

"I'm sure it will be plenty big enough, Teddy," Grace couldn't help her lips from twitching at how her son was almost bouncing in place.

"I can't wait to meet the Sheriff! And see all the people – I bet they're gonna–"

"Now remember our deal, young man." Grace reprimanded the child a little sternly. "You come with me, but you need to stay close. You understand?"

"Yes, Momma." Teddy nodded with a serious expression on his face – or, as serious as he could be in this current mood.

Grace had been torn this morning when she'd reached the dilemma of what to do with her son whilst she went to go and give the Sheriff her statement. She never liked to leave Teddy on his own, no matter how long she was gone for. It was tempting fate for something to go wrong in her absence. But after last night, she most definitely didn't want to leave him alone in the house unprotected should those thieves come knocking again. So, they'd both cleaned themselves up until their scales shined like glass – Grace glad that Teddy's scales took after hers as they shone quite well when polished – and they made themselves look presentable. Grace cleaned up her split lip (which wasn't nearly as big as what she'd feared) and hid the bruising along her cheek with whatever little makeup she had. Despite the fact that she knew it would end disastrously, she wanted to at least try to make a good impression on the towns folk.

"Can I go swim in the lake, Momma? I've never been near so much water!" Teddy's excited voice pulled Grace from her thoughts.

"If we have time, maybe…" Grace said a little distractedly as she watched the town of Mud grow ever closer.

"Do you think we'll see that snake again, Momma?" Teddy asked as innocently as he could, which only set alarm bells off in Grace's head.

"What?" She asked sharply as she stopped and looked down at her son.

"You know… the one who helped us last night… will we see him?" Teddy's eyes looked up at his mother's in the nearest and cutest puppy-dog face she'd ever seen. But despite the fact that Teddy could fleece a sheep of his own wool with that look, his question made Grace's heart leap.

"No!" She said quickly, making Teddy jump in shock. "Now you listen to me, Theodore."

Teddy nodded quickly, knowing that his mother got extremely serious when she used his real name.

"You stay away from that rattlesnake." Grace told him seriously. "Do you hear me? He's not good for us. He's not good at all. He's an outlaw and a bad man, and we don't associate with those people. You hear?"

"Yes, Momma." Teddy nodded, all excitement gone from him as he obeyed his mother's word.

"That's my good boy." Grace murmured softly as she nuzzled her son affectionately, reassuring him that she wasn't angry with him. "Now come on, it isn't far now…"

And at her own words, Grace's worry all came back.

With Grace moving calmly and slowly, and her son kept close by her side, they made their way into the town of Mud. Teddy's eyes grew wide as he whipped his head around in order to try and take in every detail, though Grace kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, trying to avoid everyone's gaze. She felt the eyes that glued onto them as soon as people began to see them, saw people freeze in place as they watched them go past with wide eyes. Grace flicked out her forked tongue briefly, and could taste the mounting fear in the air as more and more people became aware of her and Teddy's presence as they made their way into the heart of the town.

Teddy looked about at the people with a broad and eager smile, fascinated by the many different animals that lived in this place. Having only interacted with his mother, her livestock and whatever trusted clients they met to do business with, Teddy was super-excited to meet new people. But everyone shied away from them, recoiled at the mere sight of them. Women tried to hide their children, superstitious old-ones made hand gestures to try and ward off evil. One person (a turkey of some description), when Teddy gave him a friendly smile, spat in the snake's general direction. With each negative reaction, Teddy's face slowly fell, his crestfallen look almost breaking Grace's heart as she wanted to hold her son and shield him from all of this. And then they started to hear the whispers that followed them.

"Did you see that?!" Whispered a lizard as he pointed a finger at them.

"I swear, they was lookin' at me and wantin' to eat me!" Said a vulture with only one leg.

"Serpents are the devil's creatures – no good can come of 'em bein' here…" Hissed a preacher-man.

"First Rattlesnake Jake, now these two?" A mouse woman murmured fearfully.

"Three snakes? That can only mean trouble." A porcupine muttered.

Grace didn't know whether these people wanted her to hear them, or if they forgot that snakes had extremely good senses – including hearing. When she felt Teddy move a little closer to her, she glanced down to see her child looking at the townsfolk with an almost hurt expression. He looked up at her, confusion clear in his bright brown eyes.

"Momma…" He asked slowly, looking about at the townsfolk again, blinking as he drew closer to her again. "Why do they say things like that? They don't know us. Why are they…"

"Hush, baby," Grace whispered to her son soothingly as she nuzzled his head, wishing she could take away the hurt and confusion she knew he was feeling. "It's okay. They're just scared."

"Why are they scared of us? We ain't done nothing…" Teddy asked, seemingly more confused.

"I know," Grace said, trying to find a way to explain this without bringing Teddy into such a harsh reality. She wanted him to stay innocent for as long as possible. "But you need to understand Teddy, people have… a way of thinking that someone's one thing just because of what they look like. They think a snake is gonna is hurt them. They don't know you, and they don't know me. They're don't know no different."

"Maybe somebody should teach them…" Teddy murmured.

"One day…" Grace tried to give a hopeful smile for her son's sake. "But this is why I didn't want to bother these people before. They don't like snakes, so it's best to keep everybody happy by staying away. But…" She sighed in defeat. "Nothing to do about it now… come on. I think the sheriff's office is this way."

They made their way through the main streets – with yet even more harsh whispers following them – until they reached the Sheriff's office. Grace became quite disturbed that her son still stuck close to her and his face hadn't perked up in the slightest. In fact, as he heard each hateful whisper and saw every look of scorn, he looked ready to burst into tears - something that was a rare occurrence for Teddy. The protective mother glared at the bystanders still watching them distrustfully. She was furious with them. How dare they say such things to a child! Weren't they worse for hurting the feelings of an innocent youth?! What was that passage in the bible - what little of it Grace had read - Oh yes: Let the man who has never sinned cast the first stone. Or something like that. These people hated all snakes because they were predators but also because of a few bad apples (like a certain Rattlesnake she could think of), and then they took it out on her and her son who had never done a thing to them. As if they were without sin! Grace could practically see the wrongs in their lives written over their faces! _Hypocrites,_ the glossy snake thought with a scowl before turning back to her destination.

Grace was most surprised to see Sheriff Rango and his deputy Wounded Bird standing outside the building and waiting for them. Rango waved Grace and Teddy over with a broad grin, seemingly not noticing all the sour looks Grace was getting from the other townsfolk. The glossy snake was a little relieved to see that Wounded Bird at least didn't look at her with disdain, just his usual passiveness that he gave to everyone and every situation.

"Glad you come by Miss Grace," Rango said to her cheerily as she came to a stop in front of him. "We'll be taking this into the town hall – much more room for everybody."

"Everybody?" Grace echoed with a raised brow. Rango though didn't answer her question, and merely led the way three doors down to the town hall. Wounded Bird just shrugged at her, before gesturing for her to go the same way. Grace glanced at Teddy before following the Sheriff and ducking into the large building opposite the bank.

Grace was glad for getting Teddy out of sight of those unwelcoming people, and it was slightly cooler inside the townhall from the baking temperature outside. They followed Rango to the main hall, where a fox was sitting at a desk, her fur brushed and makeup applied to perfection. Her tail was brushed over one shoulder, and in one of her elegant long-fingered hands she held a long and stylish cigarette holder. The fox watched the two snakes approach, and Grace spotted how her back stiffened slightly, but she otherwise gave no indication of being put off by their presence, and Grace was grateful for that. Teddy seemed much more at ease now.

A metallic rattle filled the air, making Grace almost jump out of her scales as she whipped her head around to see none other than Rattlesnake Jake coiled up and looming over everyone in the corner behind the door. Grace mentally cursed herself for not noticing him sooner, and gave the pit viper a hard stare. She still didn't know how to be around him. His hellfire eyes, gun, and long fangs scared the crap out of her, even just his reputation was enough to give her nightmares. Jake was an outlaw and everything she hated, and he hadn't done much in order to dissuade her of this belief. However, she remembered what he did for her last night, helping her, and how she had awkwardly thanked him. So instead of outright scowling at him, she chose to ignore him. Jake curled his lip at her, and she knew where they stood. Teddy stared up at the huge male snake with wide eyes, and Grace pulled him along with her tail towards the desk where Rango and the fox woman were waiting.

"Miss Grace, this is Angelique," Rango introduced the fox, who gave a slight nod of her head. The way her eyes were half lidded and her lips were pulled into a small pout reminded Grace of how a highborn lady would act, or a model. "She's our new keeper of records and town secretary."

"A town secretary?" Grace asked, frowning.

"Yeah, she takes in all records, documents, complaints, doctors notes, job lists – that sort of thing. And she keeps everything filed and in order." Rango proclaimed with a proud smile, as if he had been the one to come up with it. Grace noticed Angelique roll her eyes.

"So what are we doing here?" Grace asked.

"Well," Rango looked up at the glossy snake a little nervously. "Angelique will take your details and write down your statement when I start asking questions."

"And why is _he_ here?" Grace asked, unable to keep the slightest hint of a sour note out of her tone.

"Got somethin' to say to me?" She heard Jake bite out, and Grace refused to turn around and dignify him with a response, noticing how everyone in the room – except from Teddy – tensed at the rattlesnake's voice.

"Err, Jake's here to simply verify the events of the incident in question," Rango said with a nervous smile.

"Alright then, let's get this over with." Grace grumbled; she just knew this was going to be a pain in her tail…

"Very well." The gorgeous fox woman said as she turned a page in her files and gracefully lifted a pen to the paper before looking up at Grace almost lazily. "Full name?"

"Grace Mary Glossy." The snake replied.

"Species?" Angelique didn't look up as she continued to write.

"Glossy snake."

"Marital Status?"

"Erm… married… unfortunately." Grace shifted uncomfortably on her coils, regretting this instantly. She knew this was where the awkward questions would start.

"Is your husband supposed to be here?" Angelique blinked in slight confusion as she looked up and glanced at Rango a little sternly.

"No." Grace said perhaps a little too forcefully.

"Where is he?" Angelique asked.

"I don't know." Grace began grinding her teeth again in nerves, she could feel the eyes on her, asking questions she didn't want to answer. But to her utter surprise, Angelique returned her gaze to the document with nothing more than a roll of her eyes.

"Very well… Name of husband?" She asked in a slightly exasperated tone.

"Benjamin Hares." Grace replied stiffly.

"Shouldn't your name be Hares then?" Angelique glanced up from her paper again.

"It was. I changed it back to my maiden name after he left." If she could blush, the snake would have as she murmured the answer with slight embarrassment.

"Oh… my apologies." Angelique murmured, understanding dawning in her eyes as she turned her attention back to the document. "Species? I'll just put glossy snake, it is a question that is automatically–"

"He's not a glossy snake." Grace cut in, and heard several noises of surprise from everyone in the room (except for Teddy).

"What?" Rango blinked in surprise as he shared a confused look with Angelique.

"My, err, my husband, Mr Hares. He's not a glossy snake. He's a gopher snake." The glossy snake explained awkwardly.

"Oh…" Was all Angelique said, before thankfully hurrying on to the next question. "Any children?"

"One. Theodore Abraham Glossy." Grace said, her voice a little softer now that she was onto a better subject. She put her tail on her son's back as she looked down at him with a slight smile.

"I see…" Angelique murmured as she continued to write Grace's answers down. "Your occupation, Miss Glossy?"

"Boar farmer."

"And what was the date of the incident in question?" The secretary asked as she got a new piece of paper.

"June 4th." Grace said with a slight nod. Living so far out from everyone, Grace sometimes lost track of the date, and often had to think about it.

"Okay! My turn!" Rango piped up quite excitedly. "Angelique, if you could take notes please."

"Of course, Sheriff." The fox nodded.

"Right. What were you doing on the evening of the incident, Miss Grace?" Rango asked, a slight narrow in his gold eyes as he looked at Grace, leaning against Angelique's desk. He was now in full character-mode, and Grace only arched an eyebrow at the behaviour.

"I'd just put my son to bed and was about to go to sleep myself." Grace replied as if she'd noticed nothing.

"And what alerted you to the activities going on outside?" Rango asked.

"Well, don't know. Might have been the screaming pigs and shouting that might have tipped me off…" Grace was unable to keep a slight hint of sarcasm out of her voice.

"Uh-huh," The chameleon nodded. "And what did you do?"

"I went outside and tried to stop them. My pigs are my livelihood, I can't afford to lose them." Grace replied as if this should be obvious.

"Did you recognise any of the culprits?" The Sheriff asked.

"Nope."

"And then what happened?"

"The rattlesnake came charging in!" Teddy suddenly burst out loudly, his eyes wide with the excitement he could barely hold in a second longer. "He shot them down like they was flies!"

"Teddy! Hush!" Grace chided the boy softly.

"Observant kid." Jake said in a monotone, and Grace could almost imagine the roll of his eyes.

She threw a glare at the rattlesnake.

"Is it true?" Rango still asked.

"Yeah." Grace muttered, now really wanting to get this over with. "Rattlesnake Jake showed up not long after it all started, and helped to chase them all off. The rest you already know. Are we done here?"

"Now hold on, Miss Grace," Rango held up a hand quickly, as if he feared she would grab up her son and storm out of the door. "Are you all alone up on that farm?"

"Just me and Teddy, why?" Grace raised a suspicious brow.

"Where's your nearest neighbour?" Rango asked.

"Whoever lives on the edge of town." The female snake gestured with her head to the general direction to where her house and 'nearest' neighbour would be.

"What are you gonna do if those guys come back?" There was real concern in Rango's eyes, one that made Grace smile softly despite her irritation at the situation.

"Assuming they haven't whilst I've been gone here?" She couldn't help the quip. "I doubt they'll come back again, and I'll be prepared for them this time."

"It still doesn't sit well with me." The Sheriff told her sincerely. "You're out there on your own and no one might be there to help you quick enough next time."

"What am I supposed to do about that?" Grace asked.

"Why don't you move closer to the town?" Rango suggested. "You're vulnerable so far out there,"

"I appreciate the thought, Sheriff, really I do. But I must insist on refusing." The glossy snake hurriedly answered. "I can't abandon my animals, my work and stay here with no way to earn money. And besides, I really doubt people 'round here will be keen on the idea."

"Well…" Rango said slowly. "What if somebody came and stayed with you instead?"

"And get under my feet? Err, metaphorically speaking…"

"Trust me, I bet this person won't bother you much." He scratched the back of his head, not meeting her eyes.

"Who?" She asked with her gaze narrowed in suspicion.

"Well, I was thinking… Jake?" Rango smiled nervously as he gestured to the Rattlesnake in the corner of the room.

"What?!" Jake's eyes widened before narrowing with outrage as he curled his lip at the lizard. "Has the sun fiddled with yer brain, Sheriff?!"

"Absolutely not! I'm not having him come within three feet of my property!" Grace snarled vehemently.

"There's gratitude for ya," Jake spat as he turned his hellfire glare on her. "If it weren't fer me, you'd have nothin'!"

"What do you want? A medal?" Grace shot back.

"Now settle down, the both of ya!" Rango's sudden shout had both feisty snakes looking down at him. "Now, Miss Grace, I understand if you might be a little reluctant –"

"A _little_?" She glared.

"– But Jake can protect you out there," Rango suggested.

"Ya hired me to see these mercs off." Jake reminded him.

"And seeing as how they seem to have an interest in Miss Grace, I think this comes under your job description." Rango said, a little braver as he dared to meet the rattlesnake's stare. Jake shook his metal rattler in growing aggravation.

"You expect me to house a murderer and an outlaw under the same roof as my son?!" Grace demanded furiously.

"Ya put me with her Sheriff, she'll end up dead long before them boys get her!" Jake shot in.

"Now hold on – the pair of ya!" Rango once again shouted as he looked up at them, almost sternly, with as much courage as he could muster. "I know this isn't ideal, but as Sheriff, I'm afraid I'm gonna be putting my foot down on this. Jake, you keep Miss Grace safe until the job is done – then you're free to go."

"I'm gonna be expectin' a _hefty_ reimbursement fer this!" Jake hissed. But Rango breathed easier, at least that meant that he was willing to do as suggested.

"Sheriff, I am not –"

"Miss Grace, I understand why you don't want to," Rango cut in over her angry tirade, looking up at her more imploringly. "But please think of your son…" Rango refrained from adding that with Jake at the farm and out of the way of town, the townsfolk would be a lot more at ease.

Grace hated it when someone ever brought in her son as an argument. Especially now! Couldn't the sheriff see that the WORST thing for her son was the venomous, murderous rattlesnake?! But then the question nagged at Grace's mind… what would happen to Teddy if those men came back? What would happen if they decided to not go after the boars next time?

The glossy snake received a horrible flash back of a day she would rather forget, one that made her spine shiver and tears almost sting her eyes. But she fought it back, and knew just like that, that the decision had already been made for her. She now had no choice in the matter. When it came to her son's safety, she would go the extra mile.

She threw another glare at Jake, who returned it full force as his eyes burned as if they were truly balls of fire.

In this case, it was going to be an extra _100_ miles!

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 **A/N: Please Review!**


	6. Unwelcome Guest

**Author's Note: Sorry for the short chapter guys, but I promise the next one will be longer! :) Please enjoy and don't forget to review!**

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Unwelcome Guest

 _"All you are is mean, and a liar, and pathetic, and alone in life_

 _And mean, and mean, and mean, and mean…" – Taylor Swift 'Mean'_

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Grace was scowling so hard the entire way home that she was almost surprised that the ground in front of her didn't suddenly burst into flames. Such anger filled her at the fact that she had no choice but to allow this _ass_ of a snake into her home! Actually, calling him an ass would be an insult to the ass, now that she thought about it.

She slithered ahead all the way back to the farm, with Teddy tucked possessively beside her, making sure that the outlaw that followed them didn't get anywhere near him. Hearing the clicks of that metal rattle throughout the entire journey did nothing but send shivers up her spine, as if someone had walked over her grave. Gad damn it, why her, of all the people in the whole Mojave Desert, why her?! Someone sitting up in the clouds must be really having a laugh with her about this, for she couldn't see any other reason why she had to have an outlaw for a bodyguard.

Perhaps the Sheriff had a one more screw loose then she'd already thought, for she couldn't see what the big deal was. Yes, she'd had bandits come in to try and take her livestock. But that wasn't a cause for such concern; when her daddy had owned the farm, he'd had thieves once or twice try to take his boars, it was just a part of life out here. Maybe it could be considered suspicious what with these mercenaries asking after her – but come on, didn't the sheriff at all believe in coincidences? Now she was supposed to voluntarily bring this lowlife into her home. Well, no one said she had to make him feel welcome.

When they reached the farm, Grace felt instantly more relaxed, the sight of her beloved home always brought her peace. She'd grown up here and now it was her house to raise her own child, and it would be Teddy's when she eventually passed on. This was her haven, her sanctuary that guarded her and her son from the harsh world of the desert beyond. Sure, the house needed a lick of paint and perhaps a little mending, but to Grace it had a certain charm about it. As they approached, the boars in their pens smelt her on the wind and a few gave their bellows of greeting, which made Grace smile softly. Despite being a snake and natural instinct saying they should be scared, she had only ever been kind and good to them, and animals always rewarded good keepers. In this case, the boars trusted her, and they liked it when she was around. But then, the wind changed direction ever so slightly, and the boars shuffled about uneasily as they caught the scent of the rattlesnake behind her. Grace instantly felt her mood darken as she was reminded of the invader to her sanctuary, and her scowl returned.

She quickly ushered Teddy inside the house, but as soon as the boy had disappeared inside, she firmly planted herself in the middle of the porch outside the front door, blocking the way. Rattlesnake Jake cocked a brow at her, looking down at her as if this were of mild interest to him. God, she hated those eyes, they never seemed to stop trying to burn her alive with their hellish colours. But she still steeled herself as she set her jaw in determination before she spoke.

"You actually think I'm letting you into my house?" She muttered aggressively as she glared up at him. "Not a chance."

"Sheriff said I gotta watch ya, girly," The rattlesnake grinned with his mocking tone. "Can't do that if I'm sleepin' back in town… I bet yer bed's _mighty_ comfortable." He leered, trying to disgust her, and she did all she could not to give him the satisfaction of seeing her shiver in revulsion.

"Sleep in the barn for all I care." She hissed. "You put one coil in my house, I'm gonna –"

"You'll what?" He asked with a patronising sneer that had Grace's blood boiling. "You shoot me in a lower-region too? Ya might hit the non-essential parts, but I assure ya _I_ won't miss." He glared at her, and she heard his gun click threateningly as if to accentuate his point.

"Just stay outta my house!" She growled before going inside and slamming the door closed, trying to calm her frantically beating heart as she leaned against it. Despite her show of bravado, she never wanted the outlaw to see how frightened she was, how unnerved he made her feel. She waited and listened until she thankfully heard the sound of scales against dirt and the clanking of the metal rattle fade away as Jake moved off, and Grace felt she could actually relax again. Once she was sure that she'd fully calmed down, she set about ding her jobs.

As the afternoon wore on, Grace spent a lot of her time in the kitchen after her boars were checked on and seen to, preparing the dinner for her and her son. No way in hell was she cooking for the rattlesnake, he could catch his own dinner. Grace liked cooking, which was why she loved her mother's old basement that was deep underground so that it kept the meat cold even in the desert. The glossy snake had an arrangement with the butcher from town, who lived at the edge of Mud, he being the one person who didn't at least cringe at the sight of her. Every year she gave him some of her boars for slaughter, and seeing how the meat was good she would get a discounted price for her purchases. Most of the animals living in Mud were either carnivores or insectivores or at least omnivores, so having a butcher in town to supply all their needs was a good investment. Grace was a predator herself, and when times were tough she'd sometimes gone into the desert in order to hunt small birds and lizards for her and her son. But she didn't just eat them whole, as snakes were known for doing. She liked making gumbos, stews, roasts, any concoction to create flavours – it had almost become a hobby. Having only a tail to manipulate tools made the process a little slower and simpler, but she still did well.

As it approached the time to set the table, Grace called out for Teddy, as it was usually part of his chores to set the table and then help her clean up afterwards. But when she received no response, she called again, louder. When still she got nothing, she went upstairs to her son's room, where she could have sworn he was, but found him not there. Quickly going back downstairs and outside, she looked out into the paddock the boars were currently in, thinking he might be watching and talking to them, as he sometimes did. But he wasn't there either, and her old male Digger seemed to have no idea where the little snake went, and usually the two always had some idea of where the other was. But the boar gave her nothing as it continued eating the slops that Grace had set out earlier, and the concerned mother continued her search. As Grace went looking around for her son, she turned the corner, and froze at what she saw.

The barn doors were wide open, with Rattlesnake Jake coiled up inside and inspecting his gun as he opened each chamber at a time before snapping it shut and moving onto the next one. Teddy was hidden around the side of the door, craning his neck so that his eyes just peeped in. He was staring at the large male snake, jaw hanging open as he tried to get a better look whilst trying to be as silent as possible. Before Grace could rush over to stop him, Teddy did the unthinkable: he spoke.

"Mr Rattlesnake, sir?" He asked aloud in a slightly timid voice. Jake slowly turned to look at the boy who slithered into the doorway, with a disdainful glare on his face as his red eyes narrowed.

"Whatcha want, boy?" Jake grumbled coldly, but Teddy didn't seem at all phased by the tone.

"I-I wanted to thank you." He said, and Grace saw Jake blink in surprise. Teddy moved a little more forward into the barn interior but didn't see the rake leaning close by, and as his coil knocked into it, it set a domino effect that had a stack of tools falling to the floor noisily.

"Watch where yer going, idiot!" Jake snarled in annoyance, and Grace was about to storm over there as Teddy huddled in fear at the harsh tone, when the Rattlesnake gestured with his tail and said: "Come here."

Teddy hesitantly approached, an eager smile slowly forming across his face. Grace found herself frozen in terror as she watched her son willingly enter danger. When he was just close enough, Jake sprang at the boy, and Grace could have screamed if she had any breath in her lungs and the ability to move at all. But Jake didn't sink his fangs or constrict around the child like her horrid imagination told her. Instead, Jake pinned the end of the boy's tail beneath one of his coils, as Teddy hadn't seen where his tail had been, and even as he struggled to get free in fear, Jake leaned closer, lip curling as his eyes blazed.

"Ya come in here again, boy," He growled out lethally. "I'm gonna put holes in ya from yer belly to ya nose, understand?!"

Teddy nodded fearfully, and only then did Jake release him. The little snake bolted from the barn as fast as he could, so fast that he didn't see the edge of the door that his side bumped into. He bounced away from it, but quickly regathered himself before he flashed away from the barn and out towards the back of the house and the back yard. Grace watched him go, mouth half open to call him to her, but he was already gone.

The gloosysnake mother turned her hateful glare onto the rattlesnake who only just noticed her as he glanced in her direction before he saw her. Knowing that she'd seen the whole thing, he flashed her a triumphant smirk, and Grace felt her patience snap, her temper roaring into an inferno that burned the back of her throat as if she herself had venom. He'd not been here a few hours yet, and she'd already lost it with him. No matter; she was gonna give him a piece of her mind, and wipe that smug grin off of his face and shove it up his –

"Miss Grace Glossy?" Came a sudden voice that made Grace nearly jump out of her scales with a startled yelp. She whirled around to find a small gecko-like lizard standing right behind her. He had an almost bored and deadpan look on his face, as he held out an envelope to her. Grace blinked, surprised and a little confused as to why she would be receiving a letter – this lizard wasn't her usual mail-man. "Got a letter for you." The Lizard said as he tried to prompt her into taking the letter.

Suspiciously, Grace slowly held up the end of her tail, and the lizard wasted no time in opening the envelope for her and handing her the letter. Holding it by her tail, Grace held it up as she looked over the contents with a frown. But as she read along the letter the frown deepened. The letter, although eloquently written in neat calligraphy hand-writing, was a proposal to buy her land for a rather substantial sum of money. Grace admitted that she was astonished at such a price the mysterious benefactor was willing to pay her, but surely it must have been some mistake. She looked at the courier with a scowl forming on her face, her already thin patience with the day nearly at its end.

"Is this some kind of joke?" She asked with a hard edge to her voice.

"You'd do well to listen to the words, Miss." The courier said with an unimpressed voice, as if he were impatient for her answer. "You'd be best off selling. That's a good lot of money."

"I don't care if it's a _good lot of money_!" She snapped. "This is my farm, I own it!"

"You say no and only bad things will happen to ya."

"Don't try and threaten me!" Grace hissed angrily. "If you think I'm gonna sell my home just like that, then you got another thing coming!"

"I wouldn't–" The lizard suddenly broke off as he saw something behind Grace as his face went pale. Grace heard a sudden metallic rattling and spun to see Jake looming behind her, his glare focused on the lizard as he rattled his gun ominously.

"I'd listen to the woman if I were you." Jake growled as his hellfire eyes seemed to glow under the shadow of his hat. The lizard gulped loudly, clearly frightened out of his wits. Whilst Grace didn't like the fact that she wasn't taken seriously until Jake showed up, she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, and so turned back with a hard glare at the lizard.

"Get off my property. _Now_." She hissed. The lizard nodded vigorously, before running as fast as his legs could carry him. When he was gone, Grace turned her scowl onto Jake. "What do you want?"

"What's the letter say?" He asked a little snappily.

"Why do you care? You gonna use it to scare more helpless children?" She growled out angrily.

"Yer tryin' my patience, woman." Jake snarled, curling his lip as his eyes blazed dangerously. "Tell me what the god-damn letter says!"

"Someone offering to buy my property. There. You happy?" She answered tightly.

"You get offers like this often?" Jake asked, his expression so focused that Grace frowned slightly as her mind tried to follow his line of questioning.

"No… actually never." She admitted. "My granddaddy made sure to own the land and everything on it. He gave it to my daddy when he died, and he gave it to me when _he_ died. We don't even pay rent to no one. This… is a first."

"Hmm…" Jake murmured thoughtfully, narrowing his hateful eyes as he looked out in the direction the courier had gone in.

"What?" Grace asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"You said them pigs was yer money-maker?" Jake asked, not really bothering to even glance at her with a half-interested expression.

"Yeah." Grace replied, trying to hold back her impatience.

"Ain't it a bit curious that this offer comes the day after somebody tried to steal 'em all away?" Jake pointed out as he looked at her with a raised brow.

"You think it's connected? They didn't even steal half my herd." The glossysnake said in confusion.

"No but I bet they wanted to take all of 'em." Jake murmured as he turned around to head back towards the barn. "If you got no money, you'd have to sell out. Somebody wants this property."

"Why?" She could help but ask.

"I have no idea." He murmured and then left her there, feeling alone and uneasy.


	7. Honest Work

**Author's Note: I just wanted to say a big thank you to everyone who's reviewing - especially the guest reviewers! I might not be able to PM you to thank you personally, but just be aware that I do read and love every single one of your comments!**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter and please review!**

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Honest Work

 _"It's another day in the dusty haze,_

 _Those burning rays are burning down his body…" Jason Aldean 'Amarillo Sky'_

* * *

Grace woke up early the next day, right before dawn, much earlier than her usual time. Despite being not only a farmer but a mother, according to stereotypes mornings should be natural to her, but in all truth, she _hated_ it. As she stumbled about her kitchen to make herself some coffee and get Teddy's breakfast ready for when he would undoubtedly wakeup, her eyes were half drooped and her mind still in the fog of sleep. It wasn't until she almost swallowed her whole mug of coffee that she started to feel a little alive. When dawn officially broke, she decided to wake Teddy up, knowing she couldn't afford to let him sleep in until his normal time of seven, as she'd need him today. Grace almost envied the way her son only had to blink his eyes open and he was instantly awake and full of energy.

Once Teddy had eaten, and Grace had had a second cup of coffee just to make sure she would be able to function, they went outside to get to work. The mess from those bandits that had stolen half her livestock had still not been cleaned up, and Grace needed to not only clean up the mess but also make the repairs so that she could get back to work and make up for what she'd lost. The first order of business was to let the pigs out of their pens and into one of the fields – unfortunately it was the _only_ fenced-in field she had left completely intact after the other night. With that done, Grace had to pull together what she could in order to hope to make some progress for the rest of the day.

She needed to repair the fences of her remaining pens and paddocks, so then at least her pigs could be moved about. One water trough was busted and would need to be fixed. And then, Grace wanted to get to the local junkyard, as she wanted to build makeshift huts for her pigs. After what had happened the other night, Grace realised that she'd need a place to put her pigs at night, though they were accustomed to braving the desert weather be it night or day. She could put them in the barn for the time being, but despite how amusing it would be to enrage Jake at having to share his sleeping abode with boars, Grace just didn't want the hassle of his temper. So, she and Teddy set to work.

It was much harder work then she had anticipated. Grace had never had to build a whole fence before, as her granddaddy had done that when he'd bought the land and started the farm. She'd only ever repaired a panel at a time when one became too old or too lose. But putting up an entire fence was much harder then she anticipated. Grace worked her tail off, baking in the hot sun, and Teddy did his best to help his momma, or as much as little snake could. He handed her nails and hammer when she needed them, and pushed wooden planks towards her the rest of the time.

The work was excoriating, and Grace could feel the sweat running down her body as she felt like she was baking in the desert heat. It got to the point where she ordered Teddy to go and sit in the shade for an hour to stop him from getting heat-stroke, even though she herself continued to work. By midday, Grace felt her heart sink when she realised that on her own, this labour work was too much on her slender body and she wasn't even half way through building the fences. She still had so much left to do!

Sighing, completely feeling dejected by the thought of all the work left to finish and she was already exhausted, Grace sank to the ground in what little shade was available. Teddy approached her, concern evident in his big brown eyes.

"Don't worry about me, Teddy," Grace gave him a small but tired smile. "It's just a lot of work…"

"Ya can't do it by yourself…" He murmured, clearly worried for her. Grace adored his caring heart, and wrapped a coil around him as she pulled him close into a hug.

"I know, but somebody's gotta do it." She sighed as she leaned her head down until her forehead was resting against Teddy's.

"Maybe you should ask someone to help you?" Teddy suggested.

"Who would help me?" Grace snorted softly in amusement.

"You don't know until you try…" The boy murmured.

His words stayed with Grace for another hour, and she couldn't help but think about them as she looked on hopelessly at all the work she had left to do. She knew she wasn't strong enough to do all this work by herself in the little length of time she wanted. But she'd been right, who would help her?

Well, there was one she thought she could ask, but she'd much rather go and rot in hell then ask _him_ for help. The bastard might more than likely tell her to get lost anyway, so what was the point? But looking back at all the work she had left to do… she knew she had to at least try.

It scorned her pride to do this, but she had to simply grin and bear it. So, when Teddy went to go and check on the boars like she told him, Grace steeled her spine and set her jaw, grinding her teeth nervously to herself as she made her way towards the barn. Her expression became more of a scowl the closer she came, for she _really_ didn't want to do this, but she kept telling herself that it was better to at least try. When she reached the barn, she noticed that Jake was curled up with his hat pulled down over his eyes, napping in the shade of the barn. Grace felt her scowl deepen at seeing his almost smug smirk beneath the brim of his hat, envious of his cool little spot out of the sun. In order to not look like a complete idiot, Grace decided to go to the wall where most of her tools were sitting, and took several in her coils. Maybe she might as well get the trough fixed instead of wasting her time here. She turned back around to leave, not wanting to give the rattler the satisfaction of –

"You ain't even gonna say a word?"

Grace stiffened in place, her back to him. She felt a blush creep under her scales at having been caught, but then pushed it down for being so foolish. This was her barn after all, she was allowed to be wherever she liked. She slowly turned to see him watching her with those piercing unreadable fire-like eyes. She slowly turned around to fully face him, trying to repress a shiver when she heard his scales scraping against each other as he rose to his full impressive height to look down at her.

"Well?" He asked a little impatiently.

"Err," Grace murmured, before mentally slapping herself for sounding so stupid. "I came… to ask a favour."

"Oh?" Jake's brows rose, clearly surprised, before his usual smug smirk settled over his face. "This oughtta be good."

"I need help fixing up my farm." Grace replied tightly, trying to ignore the way she hated that look. "Those boys messed it up real good, and I can't do it by myself. You're a stronger snake then me, I thought that maybe you could –"

"What?" He interrupted, his expression turning sour as he glared at her. "You thought I'd come out 'nd slave away fer you? I ain't no beast of burden! Go try the next good Samaritan!"

"For god's sake, there's no need to be so childish!" Grace snapped angrily.

"Ask someone who cares." Jake curled his lip at her dismissively. But Grace didn't leave him like he clearly wanted her to. Instead she stood there fuming.

"It wouldn't kill you to help!" She shouted at him, her temper all but lost.

"Bein' yer little handy-man ain't what I'm paid fer." He replied curtly.

"Or maybe you could just do the right thing?" the glossysnake suggested with a glare.

"That supposed ta make me bend down 'nd repent my sins?" Jake sneered at her as if she were an idiot. "I ain't doing yer goddamn dirty work. I ain't paid ta do this shit!"

"For once in your life, you ever thought you might want to do some honest work for an honest pay?" Grace yelled in exasperation and frustration. Jake cocked a brow at her with an unimpressed look.

"Why, you that desperate you gonna pay me?" He taunted.

"You do the work, I pay ya for it. That's the job, Jake. Take it or leave it." She hissed before she turned around and slithered back out into the hot sun, muttering to herself the whole way about the arrogance and wretchedness of men.

Grace was so angry from the entire conversation she threw a wrench at the broken trough from the heap of tools she'd gotten from the barn. She hated that rattlesnake! She hated every last goddamn scale on his body, she hated that creepy gun, and she hated those blazing eyes! She hated that smug grin, that smarmy attitude, and that look about him that thought he had the right to be a threat to everyone around him. Muttering to herself, she began try and use the tools at her disposal to try and fix the trough, but damn it if the thing wasn't now dented in the wrong place thanks to her throwing a tool at it! _Great_!

The glossysnake was so focused on trying to sort out her current mess, that she didn't even notice the large shadow fall across her until she heard the serpentine hiss that had her gaze shooting upwards as her eyes widened in fear. Jake was looming above her, his tail rattling slightly in annoyance as he glared down at her.

"You brought me out here," He snapped at her testily. "Now what d'ya want me ta do?"

Grace thought her jaw would hit the floor in surprise. But then all she did was huff to herself. Apparently this only proved that the outlaw was willing to do anything as long as there was a paycheck in it for him. But she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth, and so gestured to the half-finished fences.

"Finish up building those fences for me." She replied evenly. "All the stuff you'll need is right there."

Jake gave her a stiff nod before slithering away, but before he could make it a foot in the direction she'd said, Grace felt her impulse rise within her and she spoke.

"Thanks." She muttered, not really sure why she bothered.

The rattlesnake paused, and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye. He gave her another stiff nod and slithering away. Grace let him go, before returning to her own work.

Throughout the rest of the day, Grace had Jake working and toiling throughout the farm. She'd been right, he was an incredibly strong snake, and she theorised that there was probably not an inch of fat beneath those old, rugged scales. He worked fast but he worked good. Though he did keep his scowl on for the rest of the day, perhaps the heat was getting to him as much as it was getting to Grace. Jake however didn't snap _too_ much at Grace when he noticed how she never slacked once throughout the day: if he was working, she was working too, right in the thick of it and not shy about any of it. They both worked hard, though the list of jobs never seemed even close to ending.

During the day, Jake noticed Teddy close by. Though the young boy now gave Jake a very wide birth, he stuck close to his momma and was always eager to try and do something. Jake observed and was slightly annoyed by how the child kept bumping into things, like he never paid attention to where he was going. The rattlesnake just had to roll his eyes and ignore the kid for the time being. But at one point he observed Teddy coiled around one of the posts of the un-harmed paddock that the boars were still residing in. A large male-boar was grunting at the child not too far away as his tusks sifted through the rough dirt. The rattlesnake cocked a brow, wondering why the boar hadn't tried to run the snake off, for surely the boars could scent a predator when one was close by.

"Is yer boy short of a brain-cell?" Jake asked gruffly to Grace, who's head poked up from her work attempting to screw in the lock-and-bolt of a gate.

"What? No. Why?" She asked with a confused and slightly defensive frown.

Jake gestured with his head towards the boy sitting in reach of potential danger, and Grace looked over before relaxing instantly. She turned back to her work with little more than a roll of her eyes.

"Oh, he's fine." She muttered dismissively. "That's just Digger."

"You ain't scared that boar's gonna turn on him? The boy looks like he'd be one to jump in the pen." Jake commented.

"Too late for that…" Grace murmured.

"What?" Jake snapped impatiently, finding it irritating when people mumbled.

"Digger's one of my oldest boars, he was prime breeding stock when I was a girl." Grace explained, not looking up from her work once. "He's been on this farm longer then I can remember… sometimes I think he's not ever gonna die. But we keep him because he keeps all the others in line. Teddy was only a few weeks out of the egg when they first met. I had him in a basket outside with me whilst I did my chores. He was asleep, so I turned my back on him for two seconds; I turn around and he was gone.

"I searched high and low for him," Grace continued. "Thought he'd been snatched up – he nearly gave me a heart attack. But then I come to the pen, and I see my baby boy right in the middle of the paddock, with old Digger staring at him like he couldn't figure out what the hell was in front of him." She glanced up to look at Teddy and old Digger, a soft smile on her face. "I thought I was gonna have to watch my baby be trampled… But Digger didn't do nothing. Teddy coiled himself around one of his tusks, and Digger trotted over to me to hand him back. I think he didn't know what Teddy was, but he knew he weren't supposed to be in there… they were best friends ever since."

"The boy's gotta screw loose fer sure." Jake muttered, Grace threw him a glare, but didn't say anything and they both set back to work.

Jake toiled and worked himself all through the rest of the day into the evening, with Grace working right alongside him. He worked until his bones ached and he felt so tired and hungry. The last thing he'd had to eat was yesterday morning when he'd caught a scrawny little lizard out in the desert away from prying eyes. It hardly filled him up even then and had tasted rather bland. So now he felt ravenous and double likely to snap at someone. He wouldn't hide the fact that he let out a small sigh in relief when Grace announced that the work for the day was done, and he looked out to see that they'd managed to get all of the fences put together, the trough was fixed and they'd even laid out the beginnings of the huts Grace wanted to build. Grace called it a good day's work. Jake called it a pain in his ass, but was glad it was over. As Grace ushered Teddy inside to wash up, the rattlesnake came over towards her, and raised himself right in front of her where she stood on her porch.

"Where's my pay?" He asked, getting straight to the point, not in the mood for even any of his usual games.

"You'll have to wait, I still gotta make it." Grace told him.

Jake blinked in confusion, but as the meaning of her words sank in, he felt his eye twitch and he rattled his tail furiously.

"What?" He bit out sharply. "Ya mean to tell me I've done all this and I ain't even gettin' paid?!" He thundered.

"You'll get your pay –" Grace tried to snap back, but the rattlesnake half unfolded his fangs to show how truly angry he was at that moment.

"You ain't got no _money_ to pay me with, stupid-woman!" He shouted furiously.

"You'll get what I promised, Jake!" Grace shouted, though he could still sense her fear when he'd flashed his fangs, and she quickly retreated back into her house.

Jake seriously contemplated breaking down her door and shooting the woman for the foul mood she'd worked him up into. He was absolutely livid. She'd played him, made him work his ass off and probably had a giggle herself watching him do it, and now she wasn't even gonna pay him?! He honestly thought about killing her in that moment, he was _that_ furious. But only the thought of the fact that he was getting paid to keep her alive, not kill her himself, kept him from doing so. Instead, he turned around and went back to the barn, cursing and snarling to himself using the most colourful profanity he knew as he went.

When he reached the barn, he slammed one of his coils into a beam, causing it to crack and splinter, though it surprisingly didn't split right in half. So he turned around and decided to slam his strong coils into anything within reach, breaking several items in the barn, and causing quite a mess. After a while, he felt his anger dissipate a tiny fraction in order for him to stand there heaving as he surveyed his work. The barn was completely trashed, and he rolled his eyes before growling to himself. Jake continued to curse under his breath, checking through his gun to make sure it was completely loaded with bullets. He felt like hunting and killing something – violently. He felt like that was going to be the only thing that would calm him.

But as he was about to turn to leave, he suddenly saw Grace standing in the doorway, a large, steaming pot held in the curl of her tail. Jake got over his surprise quickly, and scowled at her.

"What the hell you want, woman?" He growled at her dangerously.

"Giving you your payment." She commented dryly. She then plopped the pot down onto the ground between them, and Jake was confused to see it was filled with steaming stew, with large chunks of meat floating in the broth. Flicking out his tongue, Jake took in all the sweet aromas wafting up towards him, and couldn't deny that it smelt good, and his stomach gave a subtle growl for the nourishment. But his pride kept him in place as he narrowed his eyes into a glare at the glossysnake.

"What is this?" He snapped.

"Your pay." She said blankly.

"What?"

"I always keep my promises, Jake." Grace said, her tone a little more sincere. "An honest day's work requires honest pay."

"This ain't the payment I had in mind." He growled.

"I know that." She nodded. "But I doubt you've had a _good_ meal in a long time. This is my way of… thanking you… for today. It's gotta be better than whatever you'd catch in the desert tonight, right?"

Jake had to admit that she had him there. And with another look at the stew in front of him, he knew that it was probably the best meal he'd had in months – _if_ she hadn't poisoned it, that is. His stomach gave another growl, and he knew that this was what he needed. And she'd made it clear before that she didn't want to house him and feed him, so this was payment for the work he'd done and the time he'd cut for her. Jake knew he'd been beat, but was still annoyed enough to be difficult just for the sake of it. So all he gave her was a curt nod before he wrapped a coil around the pot and dragged it back into the barn interior with him, careful not to spill a single drop.

Before he could dig in, however, he noticed Grace still lingering by the door, and he sent her an impatient glare for continuing to invade his space.

"What more do ya want, woman?" He snapped at her.

"My name is 'Grace' not 'woman'." She replied defensively.

"I don't care. What do ya _want_?" The rattlesnake growled.

"Look," Grace exhaled in slight exasperation. "I don't want to be constantly angry and turning myself grey over this." She gestured with her tail to the space between them. "I don't want to keep looking over my shoulder in my own home and worrying myself to death. You're doing your job, that's fine. I'm trying to keep myself and my boy alive. So… I want to stop all this. No more biting at each other's throats and being so… bad to each other."

"Do ya want us to hold tails and sing about the good lord while we're at it?" Jake asked sarcastically with a disdainful roll of his eyes.

"No Jake," Grace replied as if she was trying her hardest to keep her temper even. "I want this –" She gestured with her tail to the pot of dinner in front of him. "– to be the… 'olive branch'. I'm just trying to make both our lives easier. Don't you want the same?"

Jake looked at her sceptically, before heaving a sigh scornfully as he shook his head. He wondered if the woman was perhaps as thick as her son if she thought this would stop both of them from hating each other. It was a very naïve approach. And he liked pushing her buttons, as he did when he deliberately didn't answer her, and let her wait as he darted his tongue into the hot food to give it a little taste…

But damn it! The food was _good_! He didn't think he'd tasted something like this in… well, forever. Shaking his head, he knew he'd been played again, but decided to go ahead and make his life easier as he said:

"Alright woman, you got yerself a truce."


	8. Disadvantages to Advantages

Disadvantages to Advantages

 _"He'll never know how much he taught me out in that garage,_

 _And I guess the stuff that stuck was more about life than fixing cars" - Chris Young 'Flashlight'_

* * *

Jake slithered his way through the sand, the heat the grains had already harvested from the sun tickling his sensitive underbelly. Narrowed eyes only watched the horizon in front of him, or, whatever there was to look at. Despite the fact that if one had an overactive imagination, the desert was simply… a desert. It was a bunch of nothing piled onto yet more heaps of nothing. Jake didn't understand how some people could come up with such flowery words to describe a place where there was nothing for hundreds of miles but sand and sky. How on earth did they come up with anything other than that?

The rattler often had thoughts such as this when he was moving about and was bored, because the frustrating thoughts helped to put him into a mood. And right now, he was bored out of his skull. He'd awoken just after dawn in order to sit out in the sun and soak up any early morning rays to give him his energy for the day. And that process had gone surprisingly quick, thanks to the full belly he'd had last night. Grace's stew had filled him up and given him plenty of energy for the morning, and the fact that he was still alive when he woke up proved she hadn't tried to poison him. All in all, a step in the right direction towards her wanted "truce".

But he'd made his way out of the farm in the early morning once he'd fully stretched and warmed up, long before either Grace or Teddy had gotten out of bed. Jake had been meaning to do some patrolling, and thought now was the best moment to do so. That… and he didn't want Grace to cart him up to be her little helper again. Despite the fact that he'd liked her cooking, he had far too much pride to do the whole process again and beg for scraps. Besides, his _real_ job was looking for these trouble-makers, the sooner he killed them, the sooner he could collect his payment and get the hell out of here.

Yet, much to Jake's frustration, the morning had been uneventful. He had found absolutely nothing on the entire loop around the far outskirts of Mud, not even a little bug. And so, he was bored, and thinking frustrating thoughts just to put himself in a mood so that he could justify hitting something to himself.

It was early afternoon, lunchtime had just passed, and Jake had been hoping to find a small critter to hunt on his way, but had no such luck. He found himself back looking onto Grace's farm not too far off, already contempt filling him at how he had to stick around these simple folk. With a look to the sky, he wondered if it would be too much to ask if the devil himself dropped a boulder on the house… probably not though.

As Jake made his way towards the little dirt track leading past the front yard and towards the house and barn out back, he heard a slight hiss and the smack of jaws. Frowning, Jake turned to see a little tail poking out from the side of the house, right in the path of where Jake wanted to go. Curious and a little confused, the large rattlesnake moved as silently as he was able as he made his way around the house and peered out around the side.

Teddy was coiled up smack in the middle of the path leading towards the barn six feet behind him. The little snake was facing off against a rake he'd planted in the ground handle-first, with a pitchfork tied crudely across the middle and a hat on top to make it look more like (what Jake assumed was) a scarecrow. The boy was rearing his head as he glared at the make-shift scarecrow with as much fury as his little face could muster, and his straight tail flicked against the ground in rapid succession to produce a slight rattling sound.

Jake cocked a brow at this behaviour. If he remembered correctly, Grace had said that the boy's father was a Gopher Snake. He'd never encountered one before, but he'd heard how Gopher Snakes could mimic the behaviours of rattlesnakes in order to ward off predators, such as flicking their tail along the ground to rattle it and even puffing their heads to make it look triangular and not narrow. Jake thought of it like thievery and cowardice for a snake to steal the moves of another just to make themselves look tough. Watching Teddy, he noticed the hybrid was able to rattle his tail slightly (though it sounded nothing like a real rattlesnake) however he wasn't widening the back of his head. Perhaps that was more of his mother's side in him.

"Alright, ya no good varmint!" Teddy growled, slathering his accent so that it was almost comically thick. "Say ya prayers and take ya soul to the devil!"

And then Teddy sprang at the scarecrow, jaws open and a tiny serpentine hiss issuing forth as his body propelled him at his opponent… and he completely missed. He threw himself a little too far to the right, and passed the scarecrow uselessly. The child fell into the dirt with a slight yelp as his body impacting the ground sent up a miniature dust storm.

"Not again!" Teddy hissed as he quickly picked himself back up, and squared himself up towards the scarecrow. "Okay, okay, this time!"

And once again he sprang at the scarecrow… and missed a second time. This time he over-jumped and went straight over his 'victim', falling in a heap as he rolled through the dirt until he bumped into the side of the house. But even after his some-what rough tumble, Teddy still got straight back up and went to try again. Some might have called it a pity the child didn't seem to get the hang out of hitting the target. Jake called it utterly pathetic.

"Whatcha doing, boy?" He snapped out finally.

Teddy literally leapt into the air with a small shriek of fright, before spinning around to face Jake. His eyes grew wide and he shrunk himself into a coiled ball as he stared at the large predator before him, quivering in fear. Jake liked the fact he was afraid. Ever since he'd scared him, the kid hadn't come within forty paces of him, which was how he liked it seeing as he didn't like children all that much.

"Err, err, M-Mr Jake!" Teddy stammered fearfully as he looked up wide eyed at the rattler. "M-Momma didn't think you'd be back…"

"Where is she?" Jake grumbled as he cast his eye about. Usually the glossy mother wasn't far from her runt of a child, so Jake was rather curious as to where she was if Teddy was here.

"Err…" Teddy replied dumbly.

"That all ya gotta say, boy?!" Jake snapped impatiently.

"Sh-she's gone!" The child squeaked as he shrunk into himself even more.

"Gone? Gone where?" Jake asked.

"Gone go pick up the stuff she needs to build the huts – the junkyard." Teddy said quickly and truthfully, and Jake rolled his eyes at how dense the boy was, obviously not good at being discreet.

"She left ya here all alone?" The rattlesnake asked, a little disbelieving that the protective mother would leave her child so helpless.

"Sh-She thought you'd be gone all day," Teddy shifted back a little, as if he just realised what he'd just said. "Didn't want me meeting someone nasty at the yard."

"Someone nasty's lookin' right attcha." Jake growled.

Teddy almost ducked his head into his tight coils in fear, trembling violently as he stared up at the huge male before him.

"Get outta here kid, and take yer contraption with ya." Jake sneered as he went to slither right past the frightened kid towards the barn.

"I wasn't doing nothin'!" The boy spoke up in a slightly defensive voice. Jake stopped and turned to look at him with a glare.

"I saw that – a whole load of nothin' is what ya was doing. I ain't ever seen a snake _miss_." He spat.

Teddy looked at the ground, his face falling with shame.

"What were ya even tryin' ta do?" Jake asked, annoyed, as he looked around at the boy's little 'play-area'.

"Nothing… just…" Teddy trailed off, saying the last part of the sentence under his breath.

"Better speak louder boy! I don't like it when people mumble like I can't hear ya." Jake snapped as his tail gave a warning rattle.

"I was just practisin'." Teddy said louder, shrinking back in fear again.

"Practisin' what?"

"Well… hunting." Teddy dipped his head and hunched his neck in a serpentine form of a shrug. "Momma always said I was the man of the house, and a man's gotta keep the house safe, right? I thought… If I does get good at hunting, I could help keep Momma safe."

"You ain't no man, kid." The rattlesnake sneered.

"Momma says I'll be a man when I can hunt!" Teddy shot back defensively, and Jake cocked a brow at the boy's gall. "Once I do that, I'll be all grown up."

"Targets ain't scarecrows, boy, they ain't gonna stand still for ya – and you can't even get that right!" Jake told him, hitting said scarecrow with his gun for emphasis with a loud _'gong_ '.

"I'm getting better though…" The child murmured.

"Really?" Jake deadpanned. "Go 'head then, hero. Show me."

Teddy looked a little uncertain for a second, as if he only just realised what he'd gotten himself into. But then, he set his jaw in determination, and glared back at the makeshift scarecrow. He coiled himself up, tail wriggling slightly as he tensed and then sprang into the air. Jake would admit he was closer than the first two tries he'd seen… but still way off. In fact, so way off, that the child fell in the dirt and rolled into Jake with a loud ' _omph_ '.

"Watch where ya goin'!" Jake snarled as he recoiled from the touch.

The boy yelped as he jumped up in fright and tried to hurriedly get away from the rattlesnake as if he were the devil himself. He was so quick to flee that he collided face-first with the side of the house.

"What's the matter boy, can't ya see yer nose in front of yer face?!" Jake snapped angrily as the kid picked himself up from the collision.

Teddy rubbed his nose with his tail, his large brown eyes darting up to Jake's before looking at the floor. Jake saw them glisten for a moment as his bottom lip trembled, though he desperately tried to hide it. Blinking in confusion, Jake wondered why on earth the child would cry, even as he heard Teddy sniff as he struggled to keep his slight whimper quiet. This was the reason why Jake didn't like children: it was expected to be all mushy around them when they cried, and that just wasn't Jake.

"What? Whatcha whimperin' about?" Jake asked impatiently, coils bunching and rolling uncomfortably. Teddy sniffed again, still not looking up at Jake as he looked down at the ground with tears of shame in his eyes.

"I… I don't see too good." He mumbled softly, though his head was still lowered.

"What? Ya blind?" Jake asked, not sure what the kid meant by that. Was he visually impaired? He had thought the boy was clumsy, yes, but he didn't seem unable to see properly, and surely Grace wouldn't be so negligent as to not deal with the problem.

"No!" Teddy snapped angrily as his eyes darted up to Jake's to glare at him hotly. When he was met with Jake's warning glare, he quickly averted his eyes and his tone became soft once more. "No, I… I can see. It's just… it's blurry if it's too far or too close. But if it's a right distance, I can see fine."

"Ya gotta be kiddin' me…" Jake shook his head in aggravation.

"I-I try, okay!" Teddy whined with a crestfallen look.

"That's a fatal flaw in the wild, boy," Jake told him, though not in an intentionally cruel way, just stating facts. "Nature won't be good ta you."

"What am I supposed to do?! I'm trying…" Teddy tried to say, looking back at the floor dejectedly.

Jake was caught a little by surprise at his own reaction to Teddy's very obvious shame. The boy looked like he hated himself for this very obvious flaw that constantly reminded him of its presence every time he bumped into something. Jake could… know what that felt like. He knew what it was to have something that hindered you, made you easy pickings, made you vulnerable, made you different. He looked at his tail and the unnatural construction on the end. Though Jake now moved the tail flawlessly, as if it had always been a part of him, it hadn't always been that way. He remembered after the accident, when he'd been helpless because of it, and even after he'd gotten his gun, it had taken quite a while to get the hang of using it. He knew what it was like to have to work around something, and maybe that was why he felt more inclined towards the boy in that small moment.

Either that, or the sympathy of an old friend was wearing off on him…

"Damn it." He cursed to himself, before he turned back to glare at Teddy. Better get this over with, he told himself. "Well, for starters, yer relyin' on yer eyes too much."

"What?" Teddy blinked in surprise as he snapped his head back up to look at Jake.

"Ya need to use yer other senses if ya want ta hit it." Jake said as he motioned to the scarecrow.

"What you talking about?" Teddy asked, confused.

"I'm givin' ya pointers, boy. You don't want 'em, get the hell outta here!" Jake snapped, patience already stretched to its thinnest.

"Sorry." Teddy mumbled, but still stared up at Jake, hooked on every word.

"If yer eyes are what's the problem, then ya need to ignore them." Jake told him, begrudgingly getting on with the 'lesson'.

"How do I do that?" Teddy asked, frowning.

"Ya gotta a tongue, don't ya?" Jake pointed out. "Use it ta smell yer way, the points on the end will tell ya if ya need to go to the left or the right."

Teddy tilted his head curiously, as if he hadn't thought of that before. He then crossed his eyes as he tried to look down the end of his snout and poked out his long, black, forked tongue. Jake watched him as he flicked it out and in as he instinctively knew how to do, taking in the scents of the world around him and filling in the gaps that his eyes provided. When the child seemed to grasp what the adult had meant, he turned back to Jake expectantly.

"If ya can't see where ya target is, use yer tongue to find it, and then strike where ya tongue says until ya can get close enough to see it." Jake told him.

Teddy nodded eagerly.

"Right, now do it." Jake ordered with a firm nod towards the scarecrow.

Teddy looked a little nervous, gulping as he knew that Jake wouldn't like to see this obviously painful effort going to waste. Flicking out his tongue, Jake watched Teddy try to get a sense of the smell he needed. Obviously it was much harder to detect a non-living thing this way, but Jake refused to play sparring-partner as well. That was just a step too far. But Teddy determinedly used his tongue as he flicked it in and out, twisting his head about as he sought for the right position. Once he thought he had it, he narrowed in on the target, and sprang at it.

He was still a little off-centre, but it was still such a significant improvement that Teddy managed to knock into the target only just. Immediately twisting himself around it, he managed to catch himself and coil around the rake. Teddy looked at what he had accomplished, before beaming up at Jake. The rattlesnake just rolled his eyes.

"Ya still need practice." He snapped. "Will be easier when ya have something that actually has a scent."

"Thank you, Mr Jake! Thank you!" Teddy still told him happily as he continue to beam up at him with awe. Jake groaned mentally, wondering if it would have been easier just to keep the kid afraid of him – now he wouldn't get any peace!

"Teddy?" Came a familiar voice that called out back around the front of the house. Teddy spun around with an excited grin as they both heard someone approach.

"Momma!" Teddy exclaimed as he shot forward, right as Grace came around the corner. She caught her son easily in one of her coils, and held him close as the pair nuzzled each other warmly. Grace blinked and looked a little pale when she noticed Jake standing there, quickly deducing that he knew she'd been gone and had been alone with her son. Jake just narrowed his eyes at her.

"Have you… been behaving, Teddy?" Grace asked a little distractedly as she turned her attention back to her son.

"Oh, yeah!" Teddy exclaimed excitedly. "I've been practisin'!"

"So I see," Grace smiled fondly as she glanced at the makeshift scarecrow. Placing her son down on the ground, she then moved back to give him enough room as she gestured with her head back towards the house. "Well, I think it's about time for you to be washed up, and you can help me with supper."

"Alright." The boy nodded, and slithered off. Grace noticed how his tongue flickered in and out constantly, and as he went to turn around the corner of the house, she moved her tail to pull him away before he could bump into it. But then he suddenly veered out of the way as his tongue told him of what was too close, and avoided the collision. Jake saw Grace's eyes widen as her mouth fell open.

"Teddy!" She exclaimed in shock, and her son turned back to look at her and see her astonished expression. "You… you didn't…"

"I know!" Teddy beamed proudly. "Mr Jake taught me how to use my tongue to see! Look!"

Teddy crossed his eyes to see down his snout again as he flicked out his tongue. He then slithered about, using his tongue to detect where his mother was as he moved around her whole long body without touching her once. When he came back around to her front, he puffed out his chest and grinned as his eyes sparkled with triumph.

"Oh my word…" Grace's smile slowly became wider and wider, until Jake thought he'd never seen a smile so big. "Teddy – that's fantastic!"

The glossy mother wrapped her tail around her boy and lifted him into the air, throwing him up a little before catching him in her coils. Teddy hooted with laughter, before wrapping his coils around her tail and leaning in as she brought him up to her face. The pair nuzzled each other again, and Jake would have rolled his eyes at such over-the-top emotions, but refrained from doing so. Eventually, Grace put Teddy down, and unexpectedly looked at Jake. He was a little surprised to see a new emotion in there, something soft, but... happy?

"Thank you… Jake." She said softly.

"Was nothin'. Just tellin' the runt what he should already know." Jake grumbled grumpily.

"I know, but…" She looked at him again, and it took Jake a moment to realise that it was sincerity in her eyes. "Thank you. I really mean it. Thank you."

"Err…" Was all Jake could say uncomfortably. He didn't know what to make of this, as he wasn't used to this kind of reaction. People either feared him, hated him or were wary, and he'd gotten used to each, in fact he preferred those emotions. But this… no, he didn't know what to do with this. He had to think for a moment as to what would be the appropriate response, before he begrudgingly mumbled: "Sure."

He then turned away from the pair and went back towards the barn, not looking over his shoulder once the entire time. He just wanted to forget this entire incident, for it would make his life incredibly easier if he and Grace just stuck to what he was familiar with. Black and white he could deal with. Grey… he didn't know what to do with grey.

A while later, Grace came into the barn. She didn't say a word, and Jake avoided giving her any attention other than a suspicious glare. But she said nothing, and merely placed another plate of food down before leaving. Jake had been extremely confused. More food? But he hadn't done any of her "honest-work" to warrant it. Still, he'd been intrigued, for it was roadrunner meat roasted and glazed in a type of honey sauce. Despite the fact that he didn't know what the hell he had done to earn this, he wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak.

Jake didn't know if he could ever even learn to tolerate the simple life, for he doubted it. But if he could have meals even half as good as the one he devoured that night… well, he might at least try to see the up-sides to it…

* * *

 **Author's Note: please review! All comments are much appreciated! Thank you.**


	9. Accidents

Accidents

 _"Fire, Fire, Everything went up in smoke and the flames got_

 _Higher, higher, Everything we had is soaked in kerosene," Autumn Hill – 'Fire'_

* * *

Grace slithered along towards the town of Mud, Teddy at her side and Jake somewhat begrudgingly following them. Unlike the trip from town to home a few days ago, this time there was less tension. Grace didn't feel so stiff with Jake following. She certainly didn't like the fact that he was there at all, but she wasn't so caught up on the fact either. Jake had bought his way out of her bad-books, though he wasn't in the good-books yet, but at least she didn't feel as hostile with him now. After their little truce and then what he did for Teddy yesterday… she couldn't completely hate him after that.

Now that she had what she needed in order to build the over-night shelters for her pigs (courtesy of her little trip to the scrap-yard yesterday), she needed to go into town in order to get some supplies. Usually Grace would try and meet a seller in a discreet location outside of town, but now that everyone knew about her and Teddy, there was no point. And besides, she needed a couple of things she knew she could only get from town. It was an unfortunate necessary evil.

As they entered the town, Teddy stuck close to his mother, his face downcast as he remembered how unwell he had been treated the last time he had come to town. Grace felt bad about it, but knew that somethings just wouldn't change. But she knew she had to lead by example, and so despite the fact that people all ducked away in fear at the sight of the three snakes or whispered about them with their voices filled with hate, Grace still tried to be courteous – a little. She had to show Teddy that even if people were rude, you still had to put your best face on. So that was what she did. She said 'hi' to certain people that she made eye-contact with, and gave nods of greeting to others. Though it didn't do her any good, and the people still gave her scowls. It took a lot of Grace's patience not to glare at them when they threw those dirty looks towards her son.

When they reached half way up the street, Jake pushed past them and went off on his own. He hissed at someone unfortunate enough to be in his general vicinity, flashing his fangs at the man, making him scream in fright and run and duck into a barrel. Grace sighed in exasperation and shook her head. She didn't know where the rattler was going or what his aim was, and in all truth she didn't care, she just wished he wasn't so… offensive all the time.

"Hey! Miss Grace!" They heard a voice, and turned to see the Sheriff Rango walking over to them, waving his hand in the air enthusiastically with Beans trailing along behind him. Rango seemed either oblivious or ignorant of the looks he was getting from the towns folk, who wondered if he'd gone mad.

"Oh, hello Sheriff," Grace said with a slightly uneasy glance at the others watching them. But she ignored them as her mother's training in manners kicked in as she nodded her head to Beans as well. "Morning Beans,"

"Good mornin' Grace," Beans said with a polite smile.

"Mornin' Miss Beans!" Teddy said excitedly, glad for at least one friendly face.

"Mornin' Teddy." Beans gave the child a softer smile.

"What can our fine town do for you today, Miss Grace?" Sheriff Rango asked as he looped his thumbs in his belt straps with a smile.

"Oh, it's alright," Grace tried to say sheepishly. "I just needed to pop in to get some supplies, is all. Summer looks like it's gonna be a bad one, need to be prepared."

"I hear that." Beans agreed. "Even with all our water we got now, soil's dryin' up faster than a jellyfish in a sandpit."

Grace smiled in agreement, for indeed summer wasn't far off and it wouldn't be too far away before the heat would become unbearable. At least since the water had returned, the creek that ran not far from Grace's house – which had previously been non-existent in the drought – had at least a little water now that would help. But the mother's attention was brought away from the polite small-talk when she noticed Teddy looking away with a crestfallen face. Following his line of sight, she saw he was watching a group of children playing together as they tried to throw pebbles at a bunch of cans to try and knock them over.

"Teddy? You alright?" Grace asked her son softly to try and not make him look so sad. It made her feel awful to think that Teddy had never really had a playmate before, and she knew he missed the opportunity to play like other children. It was a cruel world where a child was made miserable just because they were different…

"Yeah?" Teddy blinked as he snapped his gaze back to his mother, realising he'd zoned out. "Oh, sorry Momma…"

"You wanna play with the kids, son?" Rango asked cheerily, completely not realising the hurt emotion that leaked out of the boy.

"I…I don't…" Teddy murmured uneasily, almost frightfully.

"Hold on a sec and I'll sort it." Rango grinned, eager to play the hero to the situation.

"Rango, I don't think –" Beans tried to interrupt.

"Pricilla! Lil' sister!" Rango shouted over the woman. A little cactus-mouse girl in a little school uniform with big yellow eyes looked over towards the group. "Come on over here a second!"

Grace watched the girl come running over, noticing how adorable she looked, and it made her heart ache to think she'd never have a daughter of her own. Grace was perfectly happy with Teddy, and she thanked god for him every single day. But there was still a time when she wished she could have one more little egg, and give Teddy the playmate he desperately wanted, in the form of a little sister, someone that Grace could do girly things with, and just to have another baby in the house. Sometimes when Grace looked at Teddy's old baby pictures, she felt the twinge inside of her, the broody-feeling that made her yearn for another little egg – or two. She missed having a tiny one, with no teeth but just gums, all clumsiness when they slithered, learning how to say 'momma' for the first time… But those ideas were always put away with a sigh for wishful-thinking. It was impossible to make eggs when you had no one to make them with, and Grace had had her fill of disappointing men to last her a life time. And besides, she was happy with Teddy – she just wished he wouldn't grow up so fast.

"What's the matter Sheriff?" The girl – Pricilla – asked as she joined them, drawing Grace's attention back to the present.

"I wanted to introduce you to somebody." The Sheriff grinned whilst both Beans and Teddy were fidgeting nervously. "This here's Teddy Glossy."

"He's a snake." Pricilla said as she looked at the boy. Grace winced, knowing this would already end badly.

"Pricilla – manners!" Beans scolded her.

"You're a snake." Pricilla said instead as she turned back to Teddy, obviously not seeing anything wrong with stating the obvious.

"Y-Yeah… I am." Teddy murmured, tongue flicking out nervously to taste the air. He then scowled at the floor as he mumbled: "You hate me for that, don't you."

"Teddy…" Grace tried to say softly.

"You ever kill anybody?" Pricilla asked suddenly.

"Pricilla!" Beans gasped in horror at the girl's bluntness. Teddy's head shot up at the question, eyes going wide.

"Err – I ain't ever killed nobody!" He said, utterly panicked.

"I hear snakes do it all the time." Pricilla continued with a shrug before she narrowed her big eyes at Teddy as she inspected his mouth. "I don't see no fangs. What do ya do with people ya kill?"

"I don't – kill 'em I mean." Teddy murmured, looking up to his mother helplessly, who could only give a serpentine shrug.

"You here to cause trouble? Sheriff Rango says I can shoot people if they gives us trouble." Pricilla said, causing Teddy's scales to go a little paler as he stared at the girl in front of him. He suddenly realised why his mother didn't want him growing up and marrying a girl really fast – girls were scary!

"I did not!" Rango cried out defensively when Beans sent him a withering glare.

"No! No trouble… Momma says it's bad to cause trouble." Teddy said earnestly.

"Okay. I won't shoot you." Pricilla gave a very small and smug smile.

"You… don't hate me?" Teddy asked slowly, the slightest flicker of hope entering his eyes as he watched that little smile.

"Nah. You don't cause no trouble, I don't mind you none." The cactus mouse looked at him thoughtfully. "But people round here don't like snakes. Strangers don't last long here… can I have yer skin when yer dead? I reckon I can make me a mighty fine purse."

" _Pricilla_!" Beans and Rango almost shrieked in horror. Grace's mouth dropped open –

"You'll have to take it from me first!" Teddy shot back, the slightest twitch of a smirk on his face. The adults stared at the children, dumbfounded at this exchange as if they were talking in a different language.

"Yer alright… for a snake." Pricilla's smile grew a little wider as she suddenly pulled out a pebble and tossed it in the air before catching it. "Wanna come throw pebbles at Pastor Paul?"

"Can I Momma?" Teddy rounded on his mother excitedly.

"Well…" Grace blinked, stunned at the sudden change of events. Pricilla seemed sweet and truthful… but a little too blunt and on the side of reckless for Grace's liking. But Teddy had just found a friend amidst a sea of harsh strangers. How could she deny him? She sighed. "Don't get in too much trouble. You hear?"

"Yes!" Teddy grinned as he turned back to Pricilla, who led the way back to her friends, Teddy faithfully following her, tongue flicking out continuously to help him not bump into anything as he went. Grace watched them go, a small smile curving her lips.

"Don't worry, he'll be alright." Rango smiled triumphantly for his 'accomplishment'.

"I know." Grace murmured.

"Speaking of which, how are you and Jake getting' along?"

At the sudden question, Grace had to blink and think about the answer. How on earth had the Sheriff managed to get on to _this_ line of conversation? Maybe the townsfolk were right, he was mad. She was so confused by it that she still had to say: "What?"

"I know you and Jake got off to a rough start, but… I hope things have improved?" Rango asked.

"Well, yeah, things were… tense at first." Grace shifted uncomfortably. _That_ was understatement of the year. "But things now are going better than I thought they would. Though… on second thought that isn't saying much."

"You know how it is, Miss Grace," Rango murmured as his voice dipped into a dramatic sigh. "The dastardly man can always be softened by the homely life of a good woman and a –"

"Shut up Rango." Beans interrupted him with a roll of her eyes, and the chameleon quickly clamped his mouth shut as his cheeks tinged red. Beans stepped in front of him as she looked up at Grace with a patient smile. "You said you was here for supplies, Grace?"

"Yes, I am."

"Well I know just the person ta help ya with that." Beans said as she began walking down the street, leading Grace away with a crestfallen Rango to bring up the rear.

"Thank you." Grace whispered to Beans as her eyes shifted back to Rango and the embarrassing line of conversation he had caused.

Beans winked.

Beans lead the way up the street, with Rango and Grace following faithfully behind her. They came up to a little house closer to the edge of town, in fact only a few doors away from the tin-can home where old Wesley had been attacked several days ago. The house was in pristine condition, and from a glance through the windows, the furniture inside was very luscious. The owners must have been well-off people. On the porch was a small chair, and in said-chair was a male red fox, slightly slouched as he relaxed in the seat. His bushy tail was a little dishevelled, and his clothes looked moderately nice, as if someone had taken great care to pick out the perfect outfit and make it immaculate, though it was sadly covered in dust and becoming a little frayed. The fox appeared to be asleep as he was slouched and his head was bent over his chest. But as they drew closer, Grace saw how his head was bobbing ever so slightly. It was then that she noticed he had a strange looking head-piece that arched over his head with little buds stuck in his ears. A cord of wire trailed down from the head-piece to a box-like contraption strapped to his belt and Grace could see the inside of it turning slowly on two wheels. The glossysnake had never seen such a thing before.

"Chuck?" Beans asked up at the fox but got no response. "Chuck?" She said again, louder.

When the fox still appeared to be oblivious, Beans picked up a pebble and tossed it at the fox, hitting him squarely on the nose. The fox squealed as he was startled into awareness, almost leaping out of his chair as he looked around with wide eyes. But once he saw Beans and Rango standing before his front-porch, he visibly relaxed.

"Christ!" He sighed breathlessly, and Grace was a little surprised not to hear the thick accent that everyone in the town usually had. He then pulled off the head set from his ears, and Grace thought she heard a song playing from it: _'We're leaving ground (leaving ground)… Will things ever be the same again? It's the final countdown!'_ Once again Grace was mystified at what this strange object was, but was brought back to the present when the fox stuffed the machine in his pocket and stood as he spoke to Beans: "Miss Beans, don't _do_ that!"

"Sorry Chuck, but you was doing your… thing again." Beans fidgeted, as if she didn't exactly know what to name or how to feel about the strange object that she had also seen.

"No harm in the man havin' a little alone time," Rango put in with a smile.

"Sheriff Rango, good to see ya." The fox nodded to the chameleon. "What can I do for you?"

"We wanna introduce you to somebody."

"Really? Well–" The fox had started off sounding interested, but then his eyes caught on Grace's form as he only just noticed her. His eyes instantly became big and round as he stared at her, and the glossysnake struggled not to wince. "Oh…"

"This is Miss Grace Glossy, a farm-girl from out of town." Rango explained. "Grace? This is Charles. 'Chuck' for short. Angelique's husband and also the little do-whatever-man of the town."

"A do-whatever-man?" She asked with a frown.

"Chuck does whatever work's around." Beans clarified.

"But I mainly go out hunting with my daughter sometimes – we help out the butcher. Other times I help run the convoy from other towns in the valley." The fox – Chuck – said, seeming to regain his composure as he spoke to Grace almost normally.

"A man of many trades." She mused. "Impressive."

"Thanks."

"Grace here needs help with a couple o' supplies," Rango put in.

"Ah, that would be why you brought her to me." Chuck nodded as he descended from his porch and stood in front of Grace. "No problem. What is it exactly that you're looking for, Miss?"

"Well, I need nuts and bolts and locks," Grace listed off, trying not to think about how weird it felt to have him suddenly look at her as if it were normal. Did he just have a very good poker face? "As well as vinegar and other preservatives please."

"Okay then, if you'd like to follow me out back." He said as he started walking off, and the pair left Beans and Rango behind as the snake followed the fox hesitantly. "The barns should have what you need. We just got back from a supply-train yesterday, so most of that stuff should still be there before it gets moved to the appropriate sellers."

"Thanks." Grace murmured. She watched Chuck act almost casually as he led the way, and Grace found herself a little unsure of what to do, and couldn't help but say: "I must admit, I'm surprised."

"About what?"

"Well…" She began to grind her teeth with nerves. "You're not exactly… cursing me."

"And why would I do that?"

"Well, because…"

"Because you're a snake?" Chuck asked as he looked at her with innocent brown eyes, before he shrugged. "Miss Grace, I'd probably be the first to admit that if I saw a snake, I'd keep my eyes on it, but I'd like to think I would give it the benefit of the doubt. You've been nice and polite, and you ain't giving me the hunter's look, so you're alright with me."

"I can see why Beans introduced us…" Grace murmured, a small smile growing on her face despite herself.

"Her and the sheriff are good people." Chuck smiled as well. "I know what it's like to be something of an outcast. But where I come from, I had dealings with friendlier snakes a lot of the time, so I'm more used to them then people from around here."

"Thank you." She nodded to him, a little interested of where he was from, but didn't want to pry.

They continued on in silence for a few paces, before Grace felt the burn of curiosity inside her mind as she carefully watched the fox out of the corner of her eye. Something was bothering her about him, and she felt the burning need to have her answers. Chuck seemed like a decent guy, so she had little fear of him blowing up at simple questions, and if he refused to answer then that would be that. Grace was not the type of person to pester someone for answers, she knew it wasn't her place.

"So you're Angelique's husband?" She finally asked casually.

"Yes I am."

"You're not exactly what I expected…"

"Ah, well," Chuck grinned a little sheepishly, which Grace found almost adorable. "My poor girl does try her best to make me the ' _pièce de résistance_ of the town' as she puts it. But I'm afraid the desert is not very forgiving on velvet."

"I can imagine." Grace smirked. "I expected Angelique to go for the aristocratic gentleman, not the good-hearted nice-guy."

"Do you see that many aristocrats around here?" Chuck laughed. "Nah, maybe my girl just likes the fact that she has something different than the other men she could pick around town."

"But she can seem so… professional." Grace found it difficult to describe the vixen she had only met just once, as she didn't want to insult her or her husband, but was enjoying having a friendly conversation with someone. She didn't want this experience to end.

"Yeah, that's just her way. I've learned to see what's underneath that." Chuck shrugged. "What can I say? Maybe opposites attract."

"You mentioned you have a daughter… you and Angelique have children?" She asked.

"Yeah, that was Lulu, our eldest. I sometimes take her with me when I go hunting, teach her marksmanship – get her out of her mother's hair." He grinned at the thought. "We have three others: Ruth – who's not much younger then Lulu, and then the twins: Rebecca and Alex. Those two are still small, but our little nightmares."

"How old?"

"Well the twins will turn five this winter, and Ruth will be eight just after the summer. Lulu's just turned into a young teenager – and always reminds us that she's almost a woman. Scary how fast they grow, isn't it?" He murmured with a wistful look in his eyes.

"You have no idea."

"You got a kid?"

"One. A boy, Theodore. Ten years old." Grace told him with pride, and Charles smiled at her as he nodded with respect.

"Ah, well that's –"

A sudden scream split apart the world and had the two jumping away from each other as they twisted to see where the noise had come from. Grace's eyes widened when she saw a plume of black smoke rising above the town, before there were several shouts of alarm as everyone became aware of the fire. Chuck was already running towards the blaze, and Grace was not far behind, a panic setting in her heart as she searched in front of her for any sign of Teddy. Every alley she passed, every shadow drawn by houses she glanced in as she looked around frantically for her son.

As they came around the corner, the two were confronted by the convenient store now ablaze, flames licking at the insides of the downstairs and quickly rising as it tried to engulf the house. The blaze was like a hungry serpent stretching its jaws as it tried to swallow the building whole, whilst it touched and tried to also set its sights on the houses surrounding it. People were running about in terror, and Grace spotted Rango, Beans and several others ferrying buckets from the lake before pouring them onto the fire in an attempt to extinguish it. Chuck quickly leapt into the fray and grabbed a nearby pale as he ran to the lake. Grace however, remained frozen as she looked about with terrified eyes for her son.

"Teddy?!" She shouted to try and be heard above the noise of people stampeding around her. " _Teddy_!?" She called again.

She slithered her way through the throng of people, desperate to find her son, but she couldn't see him. She saw Jake at one point slither onto the scene, drawn in by the sounds of distress, before his eyes widened slightly at the blaze. The main focus of those trying to put out the fire was to stop the fire from spreading, whilst also trying to tackle the fire itself. But Grace watched the fire with growing dread as she continued to look for her boy, shouting his name until she was almost screaming in desperation. And as if he heard her, Jake's eyes snapped onto her and realised her distress.

" _GRACE!_ " She heard someone roar her name and she twisted around to see Jake across the street, dozens of people between them. He gestured with his head, and Grace followed his indication until she saw Pricilla and Teddy huddled across the street from the blaze as they watched the pandemonium with wide eyes. Grace felt as if she could have melted with relief as she turned back to Jake to give him a grateful smile, but he was no longer looking at her.

She made her way towards Teddy, ready to keep him safe by any means, when she heard it… One scream that stood out above the rest. Perhaps it was a hunter's instinct that made her pick out the sound of true fear above the rest of the noise, but Grace distinctly heard the sound of a child screaming.

"No!" She heard someone shout in despair and turned to see a mouse try to push his way through the crowd trying to hold him back as he meant to go back to the burning store. "My family!"

"Good lord…" A toad gasped to someone not far from Grace. "His wife and kid's still in there?!"

Perhaps it was the mother's instinct, or just foolishness, but Grace knew that she couldn't stand there and keep her sanity if she listened to a child burn to death.

She was moving before she even realised what she was doing, shoving the crowd aside who gasped and backpedalled out of her way in fright. But she ignored them, and the heat that burned her sensitive underbelly as she drew closer to the flames. Without thinking, she jumped through the window, the glass already shattered by the flames and therefore not causing her any harm.

Grace was overwhelmed immediately by the smoke that polluted the air around her, like a demon attempting to stuff its way down her throat and choke her. She coughed and cringed away from the flames that surrounded her, heart fluttering in panic as she tried to focus her mind on what to do.

Above the roar of the flames, she heard the scream again coming from upstairs, and quickly made her way over to the burning steps. The flames scorched at her and hissed and spat as they tried to eat up her perch as she shot up the stairs, but she was too fast for them to burn her seriously and so she kept going. The glossysnake had to try and keep her mind focused at all times, if she let it slip for even a moment, then she would revert to a screaming mess of fear herself. She convinced herself that it was Teddy up there, as she rounded the corner on the landing and coughed as the smoke clung to the ceiling. It gave her a spur of determination to think of it as her own son trapped in this inferno, and she burst through the door into the bedroom above the store.

The wife of the store owner was sat huddled by the open window, her toddler in her arms, as she desperately tried to get them enough air as she looked about in terror. The babe was screaming as he clung to his mother, tears streaming down his little face. But upon seeing her, the mother screeched as she huddled closer to the wall, shielding her baby as if she feared death itself had come.

"I'm here to help!" Grace shouted to be heard above the noise, before she coughed as she tried to expel the smoke drowning her lungs.

They all heard a loud crash, and the mouse-mother screeched again at the noise. Grace turned to spot that the smoke was turning black, and the flames were rising steadily faster up the stairs, and she could even feel the floorboards beneath her coils growing warm. Whatever the store sold here, something just set the flames burning to a whole new degree. With a gulp and another hacking cough, Grace realised that she wouldn't be going out the way she came.

Quickly slithering over to the window, she poked her head out of it, taking in a huge deep breath of sweet air. She saw the citizens of Mud staring up at her, breath held anxiously as they awaited to see what was happening, whilst several others were still splashing water onto the flames. The mother-mouse was no longer paying attention to her, instead staring with wide eyes at the flames that came ever closer, like a hunter stalking the prey. Grace realised that they were too far up for the mother to jump, or even to throw her baby down into waiting arms, such a fall would surely kill them or break every bone in their bodies. Turning her head back to the two helpless mice, her eyes stinging with tears as they burned from the smoke, Grace felt the beginnings of a crazy idea take form. Her daddy had always said she was reckless and one brain cell away from sanity, but now, she was going to prove him right.

"Come on!" She shouted, though it felt as if her words were drowned by the roaring fire, and caused her to cough again until she thought she would never get enough air in to breathe.

When the mother still remained frozen with fear, Grace mumbled a prayer, and snatched the babe out of its mother's arms in her tail. The mother immediately screamed and tried to claw for her baby back, tears in her eyes and panicked instinct completely taking over all rational sense. Grace shoved her away, before she coiled her neck around a beam in the middle of the room that held up the ceiling. With herself securely in place, she slowly lifted the screaming babe out of the window and began to lower it towards the ground. Grace had never used her body in such a way before, and she felt her muscles strain and burn from this alien way of moving. She gritted her teeth and tried to keep herself under control – she'd gone through labour with ten eggs, for god's sake, this was nothing!

Her body was shaking as she prayed that she was close. When she suddenly felt little hands on the end of her tail, coaxing it open as the weight was lifted out of her grasp. Sighing in relief, she knew that the babe was safe, and pulled herself back up into the house, panting heavily as she knew with a groan that she would have to do it again – this time with a bigger load.

The mother-mouse was knelt on the floor, a hand to her forehead as she looked as if she might collapse. Grace must have shoved her harder then she thought, and the smoke was beginning to smother her, as Grace herself could feel her concentration slipping as her lungs screamed for air. Working quickly, she wrapped the end of her tail around the mouse, who was too disorientated to put up any kind of fight, and lifted her towards the window. Grace lowered her down, her already fatigued body and added weight making the load almost unbearable as her grip threatened to slip.

With a stab of fear, Grace heard the wooden beam she was coiled around groan as she felt part of it chip and fracture from her grip. Whimpering, she tried to hurry the process along, lowering the body faster and praying that there were people there in time to catch the mouse. Once again, she felt the little hands pat her scales with urgency as they uncoiled her grip and took the mouse from her. Heaving a sigh, Grace pulled herself –

Before she could bring herself back into the house to make her own escape, the wood that supported her gave one more almighty groan before completely splintering in half. Grace screamed as her perch was lost and she went shooting out of the window as her weight dragged her down. She expected to fall to the floor with a painful impact, but what she didn't expect was the dozens of tiny little hands reaching out to catch her.

* * *

It took over an hour to subdue and completely extinguish the fire, until all that was left was smoking ruins of the Convenient Store as well as the house next to it was partially burned with a whole wall now missing. Jake surveyed the wreckage, his hellfire eyes looking over everything that had happened and marvelling at the destruction reaped upon the store owner. But although shaken, thankfully no one had been killed in the blaze, thanks in part to the acts of Grace and her absolutely crazy idea to jump into the fire. Jake shook his head. He'd known the female wasn't right in the head, but to do _this_? She was a whole new level of crazy.

But he had to admit… he was impressed. And that in itself was something very hard to do. Grace had risked her life to save somebody who she owed no loyalty, and who had most likely never given her any indication of being worth saving. Jake thought her completely stupid and foolish to waste her energy on such a thing, but he had to admit… she was brave.

After being caught by the townsfolk when she'd fallen from the building, Beans had run to get the Doc – the rabbit with only one ear – as he checked over everyone who came out of the fire. The mother and babe would be fine, they would have a slight cough from the smoke, but they would live. When he inspected Grace, he only found mild burns that would heal in a few days, as well as a couple of splinters and her throat sore from the smoke and coughing also. Teddy had then almost tackled his mother as he hugged her fiercely, shaking with fear which she gladly returned. Jake had been most surprised when certain members of the town had come forward (including the Store owner) to thank her for what she did. Grace didn't seem to know what to do with such praise, but had mumbled her polite replies.

With everyone now safe and out of the way, Jake surveyed the wreckage with the Sheriff and his woman close by. They each looked over the smoking remains, each of them frowning as they tried to put together what had happened.

"That fire came outta nowhere," Beans murmured as she put a hand to her chin. "Everything was fine, and then _boom_."

"Couldn't something have caught alight in the heat?" Rango asked, his accent dropping as he spoke quietly.

"Not hot enough for that." Jake interjected, though he didn't look at the Sheriff, the wheels in his head turning as he looked at everything surrounding him. Something was nagging at the back of his brain, but he couldn't quite place it. "The fire was up too quickly."

"You think it was deliberate?"

Jake said nothing, only flicked out his tongue.

"Hey – come take a look at this!" They heard Beans shout and turned to see her at what was once a back corner of the building, waving them over. Jake slithered slowly over the ruins, following Rango as they found Beans knelt beside what was definitely a blast radius. Jake saw the streaks in the ash where an explosion had clearly taken place. Not a big one, but enough to make a fiery mess for sure. And that was when Jake realised where he had seen this before.

"Hmm… that's interesting…" Rango murmured as he knelt to gently wipe a finger through the ash.

"Somebody thought they could blow up the store? That just don't make no sense." Beans shook her head in confusion.

"Why would someone set a fire?" Rango asked as he looked around at the once-standing convenient store. Why would someone try to blow up this? Where was the reason, the strategy, in that?

"Maybe they wanted the fire to spread? To run us out?" Beans questioned as her eyes narrowed. "Wouldn't be the first time somebody's tried to do that…"

"I know this work." Jake said coldly.

"What? You do?" Rango blinked as he turned to face the rattlesnake.

"Yeah." Jake murmured. "Buildin's blowin' up? This style is like a merc group, called the Hellhounds."

"H-Hellhounds?"

"Bunch o' rag-tag little shits who work fer the highest bidder." The rattler growled as he shook his tail quietly with agitation.

"You think they were with Tomson?"

"Nah, he wasn't one o' theirs."

"We're gonna have to be more careful from now on." Beans said softly.

"Agreed." The Sheriff nodded. "We'll put the town on high alert, make sure these varmints don't come back."

Jake said nothing, just narrowed his fiery eyes as he surveyed the desolation surrounding him.

* * *

 **Author's Note: First of all, a huge thank you to everyone, as we've reached over 100 reviews! :D Yay! I'm so happy I could do a victory dance!**

 **Sorry this took so long to reach you guys, I've been really busy lately and then over the weekend I've just bee really ill :( But I'm happy to finally get this out to you. The plot is thickening!**

 **Also, the character Chuck/Charles, does not belong to me. He belongs to my good friend WarriorofSpectra :) Hope you like him!**

 **Until next time!**


	10. Back To Dirt

**Author's Note: Hey everyone! A big thank you to everyone who is reviewing/following/favouriting/lurking - I love you guys so much! But seeing as I can't respond to guest reviewers in PM messages, I figured that this would be a good place to do so!**

 **MMM: I'm afraid to say you'll have to wait and see. I ain't giving away any spoilers ;)**

 **Anonguest: I'm glad you liked Priscilla and Teddy! They were much more fun to write then I expected - I think I'll be doing more with them in the future. Yes, Chuck was listening to the Final Countdown - brilliant song! And hell yes, slowly evolving all the way - I adore slow romances, as we get to feel all the juicy feels in slow torturous agony! XD**

 **misscraycraykitt: Don't worry, we will be having some romance elements very soon! :)**

 **CROWPRINCESS: Can I just say that I love all of your reviews to all of my stories, as well as your multiple reviews for single chapters, your enthusiasm and dedication really makes me smile every single time. You are right, this is going to be a mystery story as well as a romance. Also, thank you for all your information on the wiki page, but I'm afraid that I'm not using information from the Rango Wiki page, as it seems a little... unauthentic to me. I also want to add some of my own elements to some of the characters and their backgrounds, to hopefully bring something new. Sorry.**

 **Game time! Who can spot something special in today's song? ;) Please don't forget to review!**

* * *

Back to Dirt

 _"All day I face the barren waste_

 _without the taste of water, cool water…" Hank Williams – 'Cool, Clear Water'_

* * *

It was only a few days after the mysterious fire when it happened.

As one might expect folks that live in the very definition of hellish heat to do, during the course of the hot day, everyone went out swimming in the lovely cool lake. After such a long draught the previous year, none of the inhabitants of Mud ever went a day without thanking god and luck for the water's return, or even wasted an opportunity to bask in it. It was filled with splashing children and diving adults that all wasted no time in almost drowning themselves in the luxurious natural resource. Women sat on the shore in their best bathing suits as if they were on vacation, whilst old pedlars filled up jars and bottles from the lake to carry away with them. The water had turned their once desolate town into a paradise in their minds, and they never wanted it to end.

Yet still, some part of them was always paranoid that the water might one day vanish, as if this had all been some fantastical dream, or an illusion or mirage made on their thirst-mad minds by the heat of the desert. But they were always comforted and their fears disbanded by a mere simple sight: bubbles. Upon the surface of the lake, in various different places, water bubbled up to the surface where it came shooting out of the tunnels that ran beneath the town fed by pipes down below. So long as those bubbles kept rippling, the water kept flowing. It was a simple logic that kept the people of the town at peace.

Until on that day, it stopped.

It almost wasn't noticed at first, like the constant sound that one just gets used to over a period of time until you can never tell when it stops or starts. So it took several moments before someone's brows creased, as if noticing that something was missing but couldn't quite put their finger on it. Looking up, slowly everyone became aware of this missing _something_ , until they all turned they eyes towards the lake. And it was then that they noticed a still and clear surface, with no bubbles of any description.

Mrs Oats was the first to unleash her panicked scream, before others soon joined hers before everyone was clamouring and stampeding down towards the Sheriff's office. Poor Rango had been enjoying a soothing nap with cucumbers over his eyes and a facial cleanser on his scales, when he was suddenly bombarded with his friends and neighbours. Easy to say that the chameleon was very much bewildered as he was swarmed by panicked people.

"Sheriff Rango!"

"It's terrible!"

"It's a sign – the devil's coming!"

"Coming?! He's already here! He took it from us!"

"The end is coming!"

"It's happening again!"

Sheriff Rango was so swarmed that even if he tried to shout for attention, no one would have been able to hear him. So, he pulled his gun from his belt and fired it into the air – unfortunately putting a hole in his ceiling. But it did the trick, as the townsfolk became immediately quiet with the loud noise.

"Now settle down folks, settle down!" Rango ordered loudly as he holstered his gun. "Now… what seems to be the source of this civil unrest?"

"It's the water, Sheriff!" Spoons screeched. "It's stopped!"

"Stopped? Whatt'oya mean stopped?" Rango's beady eyes blinked as wide as they would go.

"Well, it… it's no longer bubbling! It's stopped flowing!" Buford spluttered.

"Whatt'a we do, Sheriff?" Willy asked.

"Perhaps we should go back and pray to the holy spigot!" A badger yelped.

"What day is it? Tuesday?" Sargent Turley asked.

"No I think it's Friday." Elgin muttered.

"Wait a minute, what we talkin' 'bout?" Waffles asked, the little horned lizard looking up at everyone in confusion.

"I said settle down!" Rango yelled again as the yammering of the crowd began to grow. "Right, now no one is doin' no such drastic measure in my town."

"But whatt'a we do?!" Someone whimpered pathetically and the crowd voiced their concerns with hers.

"I'll tell you what we're gonna do." The Sheriff told them firmly. "We're not gonna panic. I'm sure that all of this is just a little adjustment in the pipes somewhere, and soon everything will be back to normal. And if not, then y'all need to remember that we have a huge lake out there. That will keep us going until the flow returns, so long as we go about this in a civilised fashion."

The crowd muttered to each other with nods and shrugs as they all blindly followed the only leader their little community had.

"Now, everyone remain calm," Rango smiled, even if he himself was feeling more than a little anxious, but he was an actor, and so he played his role. "And everything will be back to normal soon."

* * *

It didn't.

Like the devil was laughing at their illusion of salvation, the water didn't flow again. As the sun beat down upon the desert and the heat slowly rose to ridiculous levels, the water steadily began to dry up. Despite Rango's speech of caution, the townspeople, desperate to not find themselves in the same trouble again, began to fill up any object they owned that could hold even a little of the water before taking it home to store it away from the sun. With the people steadily drinking it down and the desert sun slowly evaporating it, the lake began to shrink with worrying swiftness. The days rolled by and the townsfolk became more on edge as their precious water source began to dry up. By the end of the week, it was almost non-existent.

With summer now beginning, the furious heat of the day was slowly climbing, seeming to add more straws onto the proverbial camel's back, adding the weight to slowly break it. People began to grow tense, panic that they would go back to the miserable thirsty lives they'd led before engulfing them. People made regular trips to the bank, which steadily had to increase its security to try and safeguard what little water it had. As the bank had not prepared for this dilemma, seeing as up until a week ago they'd had a huge lake right beside the town, meaning the deposits in the bank were low at best.

Even out away from the town as they were, Grace's farm was also feeling the effects of the sudden depletion of water. The creek behind Grace's property had run dry days ago, and Grace found herself having to resort to old methods in order to try and keep herself afloat. She awoke early every day in order to move her pigs to new locations so that they could try and find a little moisture before the sun rose into the sky. Grace knew that she and Jake could perhaps last a little longer without much hydration if they kept themselves cool, but Teddy being a child was not so lucky. The boy felt the effects of the drought worst of all, and Grace was powerless to help it as she watched her baby grow desperate for even a little brief drop.

She tried to keep them hydrated by making any meal covered in a sauce as runny as she could make it. Even Jake was surprised that she went out of her way to make sure that he too got enough to help keep them all alive. Soon she was turning to vinegars and other liquids in the house to try and keep her son from succumbing, the mother slowly growing hysterical as she went to more drastic measures. A year ago during the huge drought, the change had been gradual, and she'd been careful and prepared; but this sudden change had caught her by surprise and like everyone else she hadn't been ready for it. And now she was paying the price.

Finally, Jake was called into town when Rango sent a message up to the farm. Jake clearly didn't like being summoned like 'a mongrel pup' as he called it, but didn't get the chance to complain too loudly when Grace (having overheard) suddenly announced that she and Teddy would be going with him. She wanted to go to the bank and get any water available, even if she had to take out a loan she knew she could never pay back. Jake had rolled his eyes and grumbled under his breath but still agreed to let them come along.

So they all ventured into town. Despite it being early in the morning, the sun was still unforgiving, and even Grace was feeling its effects as her scales became flushed with the heat and her underbelly was stung by the too-hot sand, especially with her only just-healed burns. Perhaps it was the fact that she knew there was no water anywhere to be had, because for some reason the sun felt hotter then it normally did. Jake was ever stoic as if nothing ever phased him. But Teddy suffered worst of all. He stuck close to his mother, trying to stay in her shadow but not drawing too close for he couldn't stand the added heat of someone else's body warmth.

Grace looked down at her son with growing fear, unsure of what to do as her panic once more mounted in her throat until she thought she would gag. Finally, she caught sight of the huge shadow cast down by Jake, and without taking the time to think about her impulse, she used her nose and gently nudged her boy in front of her and closer towards Jake. Teddy was immediately enveloped in the larger snake's shadow, and sighed from the reprieve. Jake paused only momentarily in surprise at this new development as he cast a wary eye at Grace, before continuing on his way.

When they came into town, Grace became a little tense to see that the usually scornful glares of strangers were now filled with hate. When she'd saved the mouse family from the fire, many of the townsfolk had been won over to at least be civil with her, for she had earned their favour. But it seemed that the drought had caused them all to be angry and mindless, for they just wanted someone to be angry at for their troubles. Grace hovered protectively close to Teddy, which coincidentally brought her closer to Jake's flank. Jake sent the hated-glares a hiss of his own, and no one dared to approach them. As they made their way further in, Grace was surprised and concerned to see Chuck and a few others standing in front of the doors of the bank and armed as if prepared to hold off an invasion. Beans was on the steps to the bank, talking to Chuck animatedly.

"Jake!" They all turned to see the Sheriff waving his hand over to the rattlesnake. Grace heard Jake growl under his breath in growing aggravation, but before he moved to leave he fixed her with a glare.

"Stay outta trouble." He snapped.

"I got better things to do with my time." She retorted, not in the best mood herself. But Jake only gave her one last glare before he flicked out his black tongue and slithered off. Grace came up to the bank, ignoring the way the strangers tightened their grip on their guns at her approach, but she kept Teddy close on her other side as she came towards Beans and Charles.

"We was fine a week ago, not a peep o' this trouble." Beans was saying with clear frustration to the fox. "And now suddenly the town's all dried up? Don't that make ya just a wee bit suspicious?"

"I know Beans, but there's not much we –" Chuck cut himself off when he noticed Grace coming up to them. "Oh, hello Miss Grace."

"Hi ya Chuck, Beans," Grace greeted. "What's all this?"

"The banks gone down fast, Miss Grace." Chuck told her gravely.

"They ain't givin' out no more credit." Beans grumbled.

"What?" Grace gasped. "But… they can't! I need some credit!"

"There's a long line o' folks who need it." Beans muttered.

"No, look, please," Grace cast away all sense of pride as her voice turned into a desperate plea. "It's not for me, Teddy needs this – I can't go on without givin' him any water! Please!"

Their expressions softened a little as they saw the little snake beside his mother, usually so chipper and excitable looking withdrawn and sagging.

"I know ya need it Grace… I don't know what to tell ya…" Beans murmured, her expression clearly torn. "Folks round here are all desperate. My daddy's ranch is almost bone dry."

"Speak for yourselves, at least you're used to this." Chuck grumbled. "Where I come from we'd be lucky to get this hot on the hottest day of the year. Northern climates really don't prepare you for this…"

Grace was intrigued by Chuck's hint at where he was from, but she had more important things to deal with. "Miss Beans, please: I can't lose my son…" She begged.

"Well… fine. I think maybe Priscilla's mother has a couple o' swigs." Beans sighed.

"Thank you!" Grace whispered thankfully, tears gathered in her eyes.

"Don't thank me yet, by this afternoon it may be fer nothing."

"What do you mean?"

"Sheriff Rango's taking a posse out into the desert." Chuck replied a little eagerly. "He says the reason for our aquatic problems are there."

"How so?"

"He says one o' the pipes has been tampered with." Beans explained. "He's takin' a couple of us to go an' switch the shut-off valve."

"Who's he taking?"

"Buford, Spoons, Sargent Turley, Ambrose, Willy, and the Doc."

"He's not taking Jake?"

"For one, none o' us can stand that sonofabitch." Beans scoffed. "For another, Rango wants him here guarding the town whilst he's gone."

"Folks won't like that." Chuck murmured.

"Folks gonna have to get over it." Beans shot back.

"What if it's not the pipes?" Grace suddenly blurted.

"What?"

"Don't you think it's a bit obvious?" The glossysnake asked, a frown creasing her face as she thought. "Shouldn't we've checked the pipes before once this started? This's been goin' on too long for it to be someone tampering with it."

"What else could it be?" Beans questioned, clearly not believing her.

"I don't know…" Grace said slowly, suddenly feeling foolish, even if the slight niggling doubt wouldn't stop eating at her brain. "It just don't feel right…"

They suddenly heard the clatter of claws in the dirt, and all in front of the bank turned to see Rango's posse riding out on their roadrunners, whistling and calling to each other as they quickly sped out of town. Grace watched them go, that little voice in the back of her head not able to be silent as it continued to pester her. Her brown eyes narrowed, and she felt that little impulse stir.

"Hey Beans," She said quickly before she could stop herself or think better of what she was doing. "Could you take Teddy for me to get that water? I got some stuff to take care of, and I doubt Mrs Cactus-mouse will be happy to have one snake show up, let alone two."

"Priscilla talked with her momma about Teddy – she won't mind." Beans said.

"Still, I'd rather be safe than sorry."

"Sure thing." The desert iguana nodded.

"Where're you gonna be?" Teddy couldn't help but pipe out.

"I'm just gonna be by the lake if you need me." The mother told her son gently. "Now go on, you're a big boy now."

"But Momma…" Teddy whined, clearly not wanting to be separated from his mother so soon in his state.

"Hush baby," Grace whispered as she nuzzled her son soothingly. "It's alright… you go along now, I'll be with you soon."

Teddy hesitated for a few seconds, clearly torn on what to do. But when his mother gave him a reassuring nudge, he gingerly went towards Beans. The woman gave the boy a comforting smile, before nodding to Grace as she led the way across town. Teddy hesitated, before slowly slithering after her. Grace watched them go for a few seconds, her worried eyes following that of her son as she ground her teeth together nervously. Before finally, she gave Chuck her farewell and slipped out towards the back of town.

Grace couldn't afford to wait for the water to come back on its own, and she couldn't afford for the Sheriff to make a mistake. It was obvious something unnatural was occurring, and the glossysnake mother's instincts had never led her wrong before, so she decided to follow her gut and see where it took her. She didn't count her youthful foolishness, it was mandatory for a young person to screw up. But since she became pregnant all those years ago, she'd never been led astray by her own intuition, so she wouldn't doubt it now.

Slithering quietly out towards the lake, Grace reached where the shores of the lake had once been. She could see the many holes in the ground that led to the tunnels below, and the closest one was only a few feet from the ex-shore. Looking around nervously, Grace checked either side of her to see if anyone was watching, before she quickly slunk into the hole.

Darkness immediately enveloped her, and as the sun was taken from the world, Grace had to wait and blink as her eyes adjusted to such blackness. Once she could faintly see the tunnel ahead of her, she began to slither onward.

The world of the underground that Grace had found herself in was surprisingly damp. Considering the heat outside, she could feel the coat of slickness upon the ground on which she slithered, and the walls her sides brushed against. She didn't understand why it should be so moist, as the lake had been bone dry for days. The tunnel was made of earth that had been pounded so hard by rushing water as well as by the passage of time, that it had become almost like stone, even though it wasn't. The tunnel seemed to go on for forever, and the deeper she ventured, the cooler the environment became. Grace gulped with growing nerves, and instantly the sound echoed back and forth across the walls unsettlingly.

The tunnel curved and dipped and occasionally branched off to other tunnels that she supposed fed back to the lake. This one seemed to be the 'master' tunnel, so she decided to stay on the path following this one. But the light was almost non-existent, and Grace had to quint as well as flicking out her tongue to try and help her see through the black abyss. She could hear something faint in the distance, like a constant tapping of a spoon on a glass at a wedding. It was far off, but she could still hear the last echoes –

Her nose suddenly smacked into something cold and hard, and the glossy hissed, baring her teeth in a brief flash of anger at the pain exploding in the end of her snout. Whirling her head at the offending thing that had dared to be in her way, she tried to squint in an attempt to see in the dim light.

Grace spared a moment to sympathise for her son as she had to try and figure out what she was looking at. It was very large, cold and round from what she could tell, and a flick of her tongue gave her a metallic taste of the air – the pipe! It must have been a pipe! Yes, now she could see it better. It was the pipe that had been dislodged from the others so that the water could flow right through into the tunnels. But there was something strange about it… Looking into what should be the gaping maw of the pipe, Grace was instead met with a cold and hard surface.

There was something odd about it, and flicking out her tongue, Grace could feel the cool and moister aura around the solid surface stuck in the pipe. Hesitantly bringing her head closer, Grace realised she could hear the rumble of water right on the other side of this metal surface. So… this was a block? Someone had intentionally blocked the pipe? Why? How?

Looking up, the glossy snake squinted to try and see how this had been done, when she thought she saw a key at the top of the pipe. By some lucky light shining from far away, she could just make out a large triangular shape sticking out of the top of the pipe, like the neck of a corkscrew. Was it a key of some description? Perhaps it could be used to unblock this pipe.

Moving around the pipe to see if she could perhaps make her way up towards the mysterious object, Grace's attention was caught by a very small glow… she then remembered the light that allowed her to see the thing on the pipe, and realised that down here there shouldn't be any light what so ever. Instantly on guard she realised that someone else was down here… and that's when she heard it, that same tapping from before, only closer this time, echoing against the walls until it sounded like a whole army of glasses clinking.

Curiosity killed the cat, and Grace was just as guilty as she slowly crept her way along her belly towards a small opening in the wall where the light and sound was coming from. Slowly peeking her head around the corner, she kept herself low and pressed against the ground, her predator instincts trying to keep her as undetected as possible. She noticed that the opening immediately opened up into a bigger chamber, and she looked all about for what could –

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped at the sight she beheld…


	11. What Rivers Run Beneath

**Anonguest: I'm glad you liked how I explained the disappearance of the water, I was a little worried people wouldn't understand, but I'm glad you all did :) Yes, the townsfolk can be a-holes by hating on Grace, but sometimes people do lash out at the outsiders just because they want to be mad at something for their own misfortunes. And yes! That was a Pirates of the Caribbean quote! I'm so happy you got that - I couldn't resist one of Bill's great lines ;)**

 **CROWPRINCESS: Yes, Jake and Grace are the heroes of this story as the main focus is on them. Rango does have a large role, but we're mainly interested in Jake here ;) And it's completely okay to be a chatterbox! I like it, I would never ask any of you to word-limit your reviews. So chatter away! And of course I replied back. I would do privately via PM but seeing as how you're a guest, I figure this is good enough.**

 **Guest: Here is the next chapter! :)**

 **MMM: I hope this chapter answers many of your questions whilst still leaving some unanswered... just to keep things fun!**

* * *

What Rivers Run Beneath

 _"There'd been a lot of rain that summer_

 _And the current was too strong_

 _I heard that they did all they could_

 _But Christine she was gone,"_ – Chely Wright 'The River'

* * *

Jake was thoroughly pissed that he had to play babysitter.

When he'd taken on this job, he'd thought he would be out hunting down the bastards that the sheriff wanted gone, simple as that. But apparently, now he had to contend with idiots who constantly shivered in their boots every time he slithered past. He relished in their fear, and most certainly enjoyed giving them one look of his eyes and watching them almost soil themselves in fright. That at least made the day bearable. But he could only suffer idiots for so long. One thing that scouting out a potential hit's residence had taught him, was that sometimes you could see almost everything without being noticed if you hauled up in a corner. People tended to do all sorts of things when they forgot you were there. Whilst Jake was so big that it was kind of difficult for others to simply glance over him, as a predator he was good and finding little nooks and dark shadows to hide in until his prey came within striking distance.

He was looking for one such place at that moment, finding an alley or a corner or even a hole under someone's porch where he could curl up and simply slip into the shadows. However, as he passed one of the houses on the main street, he saw a certain familiar someone.

Little Teddy was sitting in the shade of a porch, a little bottle of water in one hand, no bigger than a gulp. But the boy was sipping it and drinking out every last drop he could. Jake remembered how the kid was suffering in the sudden drought, and it was logical to think that the kids, the weak, and the elderly were the worst off – it was nature's way. Grace had been almost unbearable the past two days, constantly fretting over her runt. Speaking of which, what had really drawn Jake's attention was the fact that Teddy seemed to be alone for the moment, and his usually attentive mother was nowhere in sight.

To Jake, who made it a habit to file away every little detail in case it became important later, this was rather suspicious. Grace was normally not far from her boy when she was relaxed; in the town she never let him leave her side. And in his current state? She wouldn't leave him at all. So why was she suddenly nowhere to be found?

Red eyes narrowed, he decided to confront the problem.

"Hey, boy!" he snapped out, making Teddy flinch as he swung his head around to face the rattlesnake.

"Hi, Mr Jake," Teddy mumbled a little nervously.

Jake rolled his eyes. "Where's yer momma at, kid?"

"Momma didn't think the pipe would work." Teddy explained with that child-like blunt honesty that made him terrible at keeping secrets.

"What?" Jake frowned.

"Sheriff Rango went to go fix the pipe, right?" the little snake said. "Momma said it wouldn't work."

"So where's she gone?" Jake pressed impatiently. This is why he didn't speak to kids all that much.

"Sh-She went to the lake," Teddy stammered, becoming nervous with Jake's growing ire. "Told miss Beans she had some stuff to do."

As Jake's mind rapidly deciphered what the child had just told him, a sense of foreboding swiftly swept through his coils. To him, it wasn't difficult to put two-and-two together to figure out what Grace was doing at the lake if she thought the Sheriff's plans with the pipes wouldn't work. But no… He knew she was reckless, but she couldn't be _that_ stupid, could she?

Either way, Jake found himself hurrying his pace as he slithered in the direction of the lake.

* * *

Grace stared open mouthed at the sight before her.

She remembered the story of the aquafer that Rango and his posse had found when they'd been in search of the bank-robbers during the drought. Back then, she had thought that it had been a bit of an exaggeration, but looking upon the massive cave chamber in front of her, she realised that had been her mistake. All around the huge cavernous expanse, she saw the golden lights of lanterns, dozens of them around the walls. The tapping that she had heard earlier, she now realised was the sound of miners as they chipped and struck at the walls of the cave. At first she wondered what they were digging for, when she saw a fight glimmer, her eyes attracted to the dancing light.

One of the miners closest to her pulled something out of the wall. The prairie dog was sat on a bench tied to a pulley system that suspended him high up above the ground. Inspecting a little yellow metal, he narrowed his eyes on the nugget, before plunking it into a bucket beside him. But that was enough for Grace to see the glimmer and realise what it was.

Gold.

Looking around at the dozens of miners excavating the chamber, Grace understood that this was a _huge_ gold mine! They must have been right underneath the town, and these workers were harvesting the precious metal whilst no one above was any the wiser. The town had never suspected that they had gold lurking beneath their very feet, and in all truth they had no need of it. Gold only had use for making nice earrings and necklaces for the rich, or to have a gold filling for the odd idiot who wanted one. Other than that, it had no purpose. The people of the valley were much more concerned with water then they were with gold.

But looking at this vast undertaking, it was obvious that _someone_ wanted this mother-load.

"Enough!" Came a heavily accented shout that had Grace flinching into the shadows as she peeked out to see what the commotion was about. " _Una palabra más, y voy a tener la lengua_! You do as you're told _amigo_ , or you'll find yourself in a very bad place!"

Grace squinted to try and see, for the two that were talking were a little further away until she couldn't make out a lot about them. She could see that one was a dog or coyote of some sort, and the other was a prairie dog. The coyote growled, a menacing sound, and she could hear the thick Mexican accent in his voice.

"B-But Mr Arvenga!" The prairie dog squeaked, and the coyote snapped his teeth testily. "There's more gold near the surface, and the boss said–"

" _Sí_ , the boss said so." The coyote growled out. "But we can't go there until it is clear. You stick to the lower levels until we can."

"How long will that take?"

"As long as those fools can survive." The coyote chuckled darkly. "It will not be long. As soon as the town is out of the way, your men can work. _Comprende_?"

Grace gasped before she could stop herself. With the echoes on the hard walls around her, the noise carried, and the ear of the coyote twitched. Ducking back and out of sight, Grace pushed herself into the rock wall and the shadows they held just as the coyote had turned to see where the noise had come from. Her heart was beating wildly against her body, and she clamped her jaws shut, trying not to move or breathe in an attempt to not give herself away. She waited, listening intently for any sign that she had been discovered, all the while her mind was swimming with this sudden revelation.

They wanted to get rid of the town for the gold?! Were they responsible for the drought? Was that what this was all about, all the troubles the town had faced, it was all about getting them out of the way so they could dig up the gold? Grace knew she couldn't allow that to happen, she knew that the town wouldn't last very long without any water, and she wasn't going to lose her home to these people. She refused to lose everything she had!

Remembering the key she had spotted at the top of the blocked pipe, Grace wondered if she could somehow open it. She needed to bring water back to the town, and she needed to destroy this mine. Whatever happened, she couldn't let these people terrorize both her and the townsfolk of mud, maybe if the mine was destroyed or flooded, they'd give up. She doubted it, but it was worth a shot.

When she couldn't hear anyone coming, only the continued constant tapping of chisels and hammers on rock, she quietly slithered her way back towards the pipe and away from the main mine. The glossysnake kept herself close to the ground, her movements slow and quiet as she cast fearful looks to the entrance to the aquafer. She reached the pipe, and bunching her coils, sprang herself up to the very top. Once in place on top of the pipe, Grace managed to get a look at the 'key' that she hoped would be able to open up the pipe. It looked as if it was screwed in, so if she unscrewed it, would it release the water?

Attempting to clamp her jaws onto the triangular wedge, her forked tongue tasted the foul damp metal, but she ignored it. Trying to wrench it to the side, Grace struggled as quietly as she could, putting all of her strength behind it as she tried to turn the key in either direction. She thought she felt it shift the tiniest fraction to the left, and so redoubled her efforts in that way. But the thing was sealed tight, and no matter how hard she strained, it wouldn't release. Taking her jaws off of the key, she tried to loop the end of her tail through it and use the strength in her coils to move it. She could feel the resistance as the key tried to root itself in place, but it's resolve was wanning, and she knew any second now it would –

Grace was startled when she heard the scrape of boots on stone, and froze as she turned to see someone coming out of the mine. Keeping herself absolutely still, Grace hoped that whoever it was wouldn't came far in, and would look up, as they would clearly see her if they did, though she hoped the shadows were deep enough to hide her. Her throat went dry and her heartbeat quickened in fear when she recognised the coyote cautiously stepping into the tunnel.

The coyote was obviously male and very rugged in his appearance. His brown fur was scraggily, and his left ear was torn in a shape that looked oddly like a bullet hole. He wore a light brown shirt with a sleeveless dark brown vest. Two pistols lay in their holders on his hips, but Grace was most disturbed to see a menagerie of claws and teeth hanging from his belt. He wore black leather gloves with his claws or little knives poking through the end. The coyote sniffed the air, growling softly to himself as he walked further into the chamber. Grace found herself praying that the air was too cold and damp for him to pick up her scent, and decided to edge herself backwards towards the wall and the deeper shadows that would better hide her –

As she tried to move, one of her coils slipped on the cold and smooth metal beneath her, and Grace gasped as she quickly pulled back before she could fall off. But the damage had been done. With that one sound, the coyote flicked his good ear and snapped his head up, and she got a good look at his cruel eyes as he sneered up at her.

There was a single moment of stillness, before the coyote went for one of the guns at his belt, and Grace shrieked as she dived low as the shot rang out, the bullet only just missing her head as she moved. She darted over towards the key, hoping her panic would give her a boost of strength as she desperately tried to turn it. But the Coyote was already climbing up the cave wall before he threw himself onto the pipe with her, growling at her viciously.

"You're lost, _amiga_ ," he spat, the corners of his lips quirking up in a smirk. "You should've stayed at home."

He lunged towards her, and Grace shrieked in panic, flicking her tail back towards him in an attempt to keep him away. The coyote ducked back away from her tail before he launched himself at her when she went to bite and turn the key. Grace yelped when she felt his claws through his black gloves try to rip open her scales as he fought her. The poor glossy was petrified as she trembled and tried to shake him off, her attention divided between keeping her attacker at bay and turning the key.

She heard the screech of metal, and a second later screamed when his knife sliced along her side. It was a short cut, but it was deep. Grace felt tears from the pain sting her eyes and the panic engulfed her. If she wasn't so bent on opening the pipe, she would have turned and faced him, but as it was she was torn. But with the pain came the instinct of self-preservation, and she hissed at the coyote as she slammed her coils into his side and threw him over the edge of the pipe. The coyote yelped as gravity pulled him down, and he quickly turned and latched onto her tail and pulled her down with him. Grace felt her coils slip over the smooth, rounded sides, and desperately clamped her teeth onto the key in an attempt to keep herself up.

But it was no use, with both the coyote pulling her and her own weight driving her down, the momentum was too much… and the key turned as she pulled it with her.

There was a screech of metal as the plate that blocked the tunnel was moved just a centimetre. But instantly the hiss of water squeezing through a tight space echoed around the pair, causing them both to freeze as they looked up at the pipe.

Even Grace could hear the rumble of building pressure as the water that had previously been contained sensed its gateway to freedom and pushed onto the obstruction with all its might. The gap in the metal grew wider, and thicker jets of water began to shoot out from the pipe. As the rumble grew to deafening levels, both the coyote and the glossysnake became pale as they realised what was happening.

" _¡Mierda!_ " The coyote cursed as he quickly jumped off of Grace and ran for all he was worth back to the aquafer, shouting and screaming as he went. The noise of the miners stopped, before a general consensus of panic erupted and Grace heard the bodies rushing for the exits on their side of the cave.

Grace only had to take one more look at the pipe that seemed ready to blow, before she too picked herself up and raced as fast as she could back down the tunnel towards the light.

She prayed to god that she was heading in the right direction, shooting down the passage so fast if she collided with anything she was liable to knock herself out! Eyes wide with terror, panting, heart beating furiously, she slithered as fast as she possibly could, turning a corner and seeing the wonderful light of day that seemed a long way's off. But she didn't stop, not even when she heard a sudden 'BOOM' echo through the tunnels. She heard the screams of men and the crash of objects being shattered by a heavy force, a second before she heard the hiss of water racing over stone quickly coming up behind her.

Despite the fact that her rational brain knew it was useless, she still shrieked in fright as she tried to go faster to escape the rushing flood waters quickly coming up behind her. She felt the water slip under her and lift her as it threw her along, carrying her and debris that had been smashed from the mine towards the light. Grace could hardly think with terror, knowing only to try and keep her head above the water as it brought her closer to the tunnel's entrance, they were almost out–

Something slammed into Grace's side and she screeched in pain as she was lurched to a stop, before the noise was cut off as the waves of water rushed over the top of her head. Water forced its way down her throat through her open mouth, burning her throat and nose and making her want to cough it out. She clamped her jaws shut, body convulsing with the need to expel the air trapped inside her in order to take a fresh breath. And then, there was the cold that was absolutely unbearable. It seared her body, sweeping through her muscles and making her go rigid as her core temperature plummeted rapidly.

But she was so close to the entrance of the tunnel! She was right at the edge! Only a few more centimetres and she'd be out! Why did she have to be caught here? It was like the devil was holding her salvation right in front of her but just out of her reach, making her even more desperate to get to it.

Swivelling her head around, Grace tried to find out what had her pinned, and saw that a mass of debris had gotten stuck in the tunnel, and had pinned her beneath it. In a fit of panic caused by her loss of air and the realisation of her situation, she fought and struggled, trying to wriggle herself free. But it was no use, and the more she moved, the more she felt like she needed the air, her lungs burning, her head pounding, her eyes feeling like they would burst from their sockets. The temperature of the icy water had a firm grip on her body, as a cold-blooded creature, there was nothing more deadly than succumbing to cold. Its freezing claws slowly climbed along her flesh as she felt herself go lax, her body shutting down with agonising slowness. Her eyes grew heavy and her brain became lethargic as even thinking became hard to do, even when her mind was screaming for air.

Grace didn't know how she would die first: the lack of air, or the cold. In a rush, she couldn't find the strength to keep her jaws shut, and the last of her precious air escaped her in a flurry of bubbles. Darkness crept across her vision as every sense screamed in pain as her heart fluttered and grew weak, the need for air suddenly becoming distant as she couldn't seem to remember why she needed to fight. It was so much easier to simply give in and rest awhile… just awhile…

The face of a little snake with her eyes came into her mind as she felt her body that was both burning with need and freezing from cold go limp…

She was only vaguely aware of jaws clamping around her neck and hauling her out with a rush of bubbles as the darkness swirled around her.

* * *

Shifting his grip with his jaws, Jake tried to keep a firm grip without his sharp needle-like teeth puncturing Grace's smooth scales. The water burned his nose, and he squinted as he tried to see through the fast current rushing to fill the lake once more. But with most of his body still on shore, he simply coiled harder and wrenched the rest of himself out of the water, heaving out Grace as he pulled her onto the shore. By some miracle he's managed to keep his hat, which was now pouring off water on all sides around his face.

He panted to get his breath back, when his hell-fire eyes noticed that Grace wasn't moving. Without thinking, he slammed his coils onto her back repeatedly with increasing force. His pupils became thinner with his impatience as he continued to try and force the water out of the woman. All the while he cursed her and her stupidity and her reckless behaviour. Hadn't he told her not to get into trouble?! _Damn woman needs to do what she's told,_ he thought.

Finally, Grace's eyes shot open as water came shooting out of her mouth, a hacking cough convulsing through her as she heaved in air for all she was worth whilst still trying to expel excess drops from her lungs. As she lay there panting, Jake saw the way she curled in on herself, a shiver racing through her body, and he remembered how cold she felt. Dangerously cold.

Even with the heat of the desert sun, it might not warm her up fast enough, and going from one extreme to another would put her into shock. Jake of all people knew the significance of a snake getting too cold. He looked around, feeling extremely uncomfortable, but grit his teeth as he cursed under his breath, before quickly wrapping himself around Grace as he held her in his coils. He shivered himself as the sensitive scales on his underbelly flexed around her freezing cold body, and he continued to curse inside his own head, lip curling at this aggravating situation.

Instinctively, Grace wrapped her thin coils around the source of warmth that held her, and she burrowed her face into the side of Jake's neck. He stiffened at the contact, and tried to count to fifty in his head to stop himself from doing something stupid. Yet when she shivered again, though not as forcefully as before, he still coiled tighter around her, though not enough to choke her.

He was unaware of the townsfolk coming closer until he heard them cheering upon them realising that the water had returned. They gave Jake a wide birth and some even stared at him and Grace in shock. Jake glared at them all, his impatience and temper flaring dangerously as he silently dared them to say one word. He didn't really care what people thought of him, but he didn't want them saying something that would make him shoot them in the head. On second thought, that actually sounded quite enjoyable right about now.

"Good lord!" he heard someone exclaim in shock, and his head snapped up to see Miss Beans and a male fox standing in front of him, their eyes wide as they stared at Grace held in his grip.

"What in the blazes happened?!" Beans shrieked, large brown eyes widening.

"Do I look like I know, woman?!" Jake snapped back in aggravation, causing the desert iguana to flinch back.

"Is she alright?" the fox asked.

"What d'you think?" the rattlesnake hissed.

"…Miss Beans…?" Grace croaked out weakly, still panting as she blinked blearily at the rest of them. She was still so cold and so exhausted that it took her a moment to register that Jake was holding her and then a moment longer to look shocked by that fact.

Seeing her conscious, Jake quickly disentangled himself from her, letting her drop to the floor in a heap as he loomed over her. Grace shivered when her source of heat suddenly left her, but looked a little stronger as she tried to lift her head enough to move.

"We best get 'er to Doc's." Beans suggested quickly.

"I'll tell him to get some blankets ready!" the fox nodded before running off.

"You alright to move by yerself?" Beans asked Grace softly.

"…Yeah…" Grace whispered as she slowly started to slighter off with Beans at her side leading the way. The crowd parted for them as they went, watching the glossysnake with great interest. Jake didn't help Grace in any way, but he stuck real close to her, almost without even knowing he was doing it, her tail brushing along his side as they kept close together. As he flicked out his tongue, he scented blood in the air, and his eyes narrowed on the slashes that marked Grace's tail. What on earth had happened to her?

As he came through, he snapped his head at the crowd with a flash of fangs and a menacing hiss, shaking his metal-rattle threateningly. Instantly the crowd jumped back away from him with gasps of fear. Smirking to himself, Jake continued to follow the small group towards the doctor's office, determined to rip Grace a new one as soon as he could.

* * *

 **Author's Note: So I hoped you guys liked this chapter! The coyote featured in this chapter is the first appearance of TheShadowGryphon's OC, and we will be learning a lot more about him very soon ;) Until next time!**


	12. Pieces of the Puzzle

**Author's Note: There is ART for this story! :D It's not much, but please go to my Deviantart page and chec out the four pictures I've put up already for this story! I hope you guys like it!**

 **Guest: Here is the next chapter! ;)**

 **CROWPRINCESS: I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and sorry if the Spanish was a little hard to understand, I just figured that since the Coyote is Mexican, it might make sense for him to say a few Mexican words here and there. Look it up on google translate - that's where I got it. And I would love a TV Tropes page, and if one comes up, I'll let you guys know :) And I hope you had a good Halloween as well!**

 **Anonguest: Woo-Hoo! So happy you like the gold-mine twist! :D Granted, not the most original thing for a western, but I decided things might get little dull otherwise ;) And oooooooooooooh! You don't know how busted! XD**

 **MMM: You'll find out ;) And I'm not sure if I'll have a sequel, depends on how this story turns out.**

* * *

Pieces of the Puzzle

 _"I've got a ways to go on this ride_

 _But I got a hand to hold that fits just right_

 _You make me laugh, you make me high,_

 _You make me want to hold on tight," Chris Young – 'Who I am with You'_

* * *

Any woman would be mortified to learn that she was 'too big' to fit anywhere. Later on, Grace would blush and look herself in the mirror, as any woman would. Her rational side would berate her because of course she was too large to fit inside the doctor's office – for she was much longer than any of the doctor's usual patients. But that wouldn't settle her womanly vanity for thinking perhaps she might need to lose a little weight…

But at that moment, when the doctor said she wouldn't fit in his office and would have to settle for his yard, she was too out of it still to think much of it, and so let Beans lead her into the yard beside the doctor's office. The yard was filled with junk and crates, and the one-eared doctor hiccupped as he pocketed a bottle of whiskey. Chuck had already cleared a place for Grace, and she laid down gratefully.

Despite his… not _completely_ sober state, the Doc told Beans to help him with the blankets and they hurriedly set to work on getting Grace nice and warm. It took a little while, but with the blankets to dry her off as well as keep whatever heat she had inside her, the desert heat slowly did the rest, and soon Grace was back to functioning normally. Though after that, she only shivered when her mind wandered to what she had just gone through… safe to say that almost dying is a rather haunting experience.

Doc then checked her over, before seeing to the cuts she'd received. The glossysnake had hissed when he'd poked them, and almost recoiled completely away from him when he tried to clean the wounds with alcohol. It was only through sheer force of will that she kept herself still. Doc bandaged her up, and gave her a stitch or two for the slash on the side of her tail. By the end of it all, Grace was fit for the world, but exhausted.

From the corner of her eye, Grace noticed that Jake was lurking in the entrance to the yard, leaning his neck against the side of Doc's office building, his coils completely blocking the way in or out. He loomed there like the shadow of death itself, and he was watching Grace with a very hard glare, his red eyes almost glowing from the shadows. Grace hid her gulp, suddenly extremely nervous, though she tried to ignore it. It was only just beginning to dawn on her that it had been _Jake_ who had saved her from a watery grave, and then had given her his warmth. She could feel the phantom touch of his coils around her, could remember how his muscles had tightened on her with such power she knew he could've crushed her if he felt like it. To think that he had helped her, and then held her… it astonished her to no end, and made her blush with embarrassment at the same time.

"Teddy…" She croaked out as she raised her head slightly, blinking as if just awakening from a dream as she remembered her son. His had been the last face she'd seen before she'd almost… She couldn't finish that thought, and decided it was time she saw her son, a desperation building in her. "Where's my son?"

"He'll be here soon." Chuck assured her.

"You can go get 'im when Rango gets here." Beans said to Chuck. "I'm sure he's gonna have his questions."

Grace didn't like that idea, she wanted to see her boy now, but sighed as she settled herself. It wouldn't do to act hysterical now. She would just have to wait.

Not long after that, with the late afternoon sun beating down, Rango came back into town, and even Grace could hear the crowd excitedly telling him how the water had returned. That was when Chuck quietly excused himself – wisely choosing to exit through the Doctor's office rather than climb over Jake. Only minutes later, Sheriff Rango came through, looking a little dusty from the desert sand, but looking around with keen interest. Chuck was absent, but Wounded Bird came into the yard right after Rango.

"'bout time, Sheriff." Jake grumbled.

"Jake." Rango nodded in the rattlesnake's direction respectfully before turning to Grace. "I suppose I have you to thank, Miss Grace for solving our aquatic conundrum." Rango smiled at her, ever at ease. But Grace didn't say anything. Rango's eyes then caught on the bandages on her tail, and his beady eyes widened a little. "Holy Baloney, what the hell happened?"

"Nearly drowned in them tunnels beneath the town." Beans said.

"The tunnels?"

"Coyote claws." Wounded Bird grunted out as he pointed his crutch at the little scratches on Grace's tail that were visible.

"Coyote?" Rango echoed in surprise before he looked back at Grace. "Who did this?"

"Some thug," Grace grunted. "Like Wounded Bird said, a Coyote."

"Well, what'd he look like? I can put a warrant out for his arrest."

Grace wanted to roll her eyes, for she honestly didn't think that would do much good, but decided to humour the Sheriff anyway. "He was rugged, he had a torn left ear, and he had claws and teeth hanging from his belt like trophies." She shuddered, and then focused her mind as she tried to remember something. "I think one of his men called him… Arvenga?"

"Son of a bitch." Jake muttered.

"Whoa, Jake, you know this person?" Rango asked, taking one look at the already angry rattler and deciding not to make a comment on his language.

"Ramirez Arvenga," Jake spat with clear distaste. "But the prissy prima-dona prefers _El Azote Negro._ The Black Scourge."

"Who is he?" Rango asked.

"A no-good Mexican thug who tries to make himself look like a head-honcho." Jake growled irritably.

"Would he have anything to do with them Hellhound boys?" Beans asked.

"He's their leader." Jake gave Beans a look that said she was stupid for not figuring it out sooner.

"You didn't think to tell us this earlier?" She bristled. Jake glared at her.

"This Remirez any trouble?" Rango redirected the snake's attention back onto the conversation.

Jake snorted. "He wishes. That yellow-bellied dog was always too spineless to ever be of any interest to me."

"What's he doing here?"

"Him and his sort usually're hired by somebody."

"He mentioned a boss…" Grace put in softly.

"Usually only works for the highest bidder." Jake said.

"But what was he doing down in the tunnels?" Rango asked as he turned to Grace. "What did you find down there?"

Grace sighed, knowing she'd have to tell them everything. "A gold mine." She murmured.

"Whoa!" Rango breathed.

"I found the pipes blocked up," She continued to explain. "And loads of workers mining the whole thing. Gophers, moles, they were all digging it up. Ramirez looked like he was in charge. But he mentioned a boss."

"Someone cut off our water to get to that there gold." Beans murmured as her eyes darkened with anger at that thought.

"It's worse than that," Grace said trying to make them see the urgency. "Ramirez mentioned that to get to the gold closer to the surface, they needed to get rid of the town."

"What?" The others gasped. Jake kept quiet as he continued glowering in the corner.

"Makes sense." Wounded Bird grunted. "Get people out of the way, and the spoils are his."

"So all those thugs comin' here 'nd scarin' us? The fire? The water? It's all for gold?" Beans demanded.

"Somebody wants us out…" Rango murmured to himself thoughtfully.

"Well, they can think again." Beans declared fiercely. "I ain't givin' up my home without fight."

"Nobody will. I promise." Rango touched her shoulder, and such a soft look passed between them that Grace's eyebrows rose a fraction. Was there something between these two? Before she could think on it, Rango had already turned to her and was tipping his hat to her. "Miss Grace, this town owes you a hell of a lot. You saved us from this drought, and you've also warned us about these varmints. So I thank you on behalf of the town, and as a personal one as well."

"Thanks…" Grace murmured, not sure what to make of such sincerity.

"Right then." Rango said enthusiastically, and went to lead the party out, but paused and turned to Jake, respectfully softening his tone so that it didn't sound so much like an order. "Jake, could you come by my office in the morning? We're gonna need to up our game if we're gonna catch these fellas."

Jake said nothing, just nodded stiffly.

Rango, Beans and Wounded Bird each offered Grace their final respects, Beans saying that she would go and tell Chuck to collect Teddy for Grace, before they all left. The Doc then made a point of telling Grace to take it easy for a day or two, and then told her she could go home when she felt up to it. The glossysnake thanked him, and he quickly turned and left.

That left her alone with Jake. She thought he would sulk off as well and leave her alone, but to her surprise and anxiety, he stayed exactly where he was, and continued to glare right at her. Evening was quickly drawing in as the sun got lower to the horizon, casting more shadows in the town and a red haze over the sky. It made Jake look extremely dangerous as his form was engulfed by the darkness and his red eyes matched the sky as if he had just stepped out of the gates of hell itself. Grace did her best to repress her shiver and mask it to make it seem like she was still cold. She avoided his gaze, but could feel him still glaring at her, making her skin crawl, unsettling her more with every second that passed, until she could stand it no longer.

"Jake…?" She spoke in a small and hesitant voice.

"Yer a fool. You know that?" Jake spat out in such a cold tone that she actually flinched.

"What?" She blinked at him, startled.

"Yer a ridiculous, stupid, crazy-ass fool!" He hissed, slowly coming towards her, and Grace was reminded of a great predator stalking its prey. "I expected this from a kid with no brain-cells!"

"I don't know what you're –"

"Today, ya stupid woman!" He snapped, his rattle shaking loudly in agitation behind him as he made himself bigger as he loomed over her. "You goin' prancin' off thinkin' yer some hero and gettin' caught a damn fool! Bit off more than ya could chew, didn't cha!"

"I got the water back, I see _grateful_ isn't in your vocabulary." She retorted, trying to regain some semblance of control of this situation. She was reminded of when they met, how he almost killed her… if he was that angry, would he kill her now?

"I ain't grateful fer nothin' when I got to save yer sorry ass!" He yelled.

"Well, sorry for the inconvenience!" Grace rose from her curled position, daring to try and match him as she too raised her voice. It was all a front to try and cover the fact that she was shaking in her boots – figuratively speaking.

"Ya couldn't wait for someone to go in with ya?! Huh? Ya had to be the hot shot and play it solo?" Jake demanded, his pupils becoming as thin as paper, his tail continuing to rattle threateningly as leaned into her personal space, lip curling to reveal his many curved and sharp teeth.

"No one would listen to me, I –"

"Bullshit!" He shouted, and Grace couldn't hide it this time when she did flinch back away from him, her eyes widening in fear of his temper. "If you'd stuck around until the Sheriff got back, that flimsy fool would'a followed you in. I'm sure folks could'a lasted a few more hours!"

"It had to be done. I wasn't waiting around." She muttered, trying feebly to have some form of defence.

"Then yer worse then I took ya for. Yer a damned idiot!"

"I don't see why you're so pissed." She said, brows furrowing in genuine confusion. "I don't remember bothering you so much!"

"Are ya soft in the head, woman?!" Jake glared at her. "Or did ya forget the part where I was fetchin' ya out and tryin' to make sure ya breathed?!"

"Well, sorry for being such a liability!"

"Don't be sorry, just don't ever do that again – ya hear?!"

That made Grace pause. There was some form of urgency in his voice, something that hinted at more than just his anger. Grace remembered when Teddy once tried to jump across the creek behind their property, he nearly broke a rib doing it. Grace had been so worried that when everything had settled down, she'd been furious. Could Jake be the same now? Had he been… concerned for her? She shook it off as nonsense, for surely it wasn't true…

"Didn't know you cared…" She muttered dismissively, but eyed him.

"I don't." He corrected her sharply, perhaps a little too quickly. He then brought himself incredibly close, and Grace had to back up away from him before he could ram into her. But then her back hit the wall, and she realised with horror that he had her boxed in. He glared at her as his voice came out cruel and quiet. "Make no mistake woman: I don't care if you live or die. Hell, I think I'd be happy to watch them pretty brown eyes close-up fer good!"

The words stung. She didn't know why, but they did. She had thought that maybe because he'd been less hostile with her lately, and then saving her, he might not kill her if given the chance. It served her right, she guessed. He was an outlaw after all, a criminal whom she couldn't trust.

But then, Jake let out a sigh, and his eyes closed for a moment. He was so close that Grace got a good look at his face: he looked tired, worn, the scales under his eyes dark as if from lack of sleep. Had he not been sleeping in the barn? Or was it that since his lifestyle was so full of danger, he could never let his guard down? Then she noticed that above his top lip, there were just a couple of black scales that made up a thin moustache. How had she never noticed he had a moustache before? It gave him a somewhat sophisticated and… charming look.

When he spoke, his tone was softened and her attention was brought back to him as he fixed her with his eyes. "But right now, it's my job to make sure ya live through this. So just do me a favour and make it a little easier for me."

He then moved away from her, only now choosing the time to exit the yard, what he wanted to say now finally done. Grace released a breath she hadn't even realised she'd been holding. Blinking stupidly she watched Jake leave, an impulse rising within her. No matter his words about not caring for her, he had saved her life, and he was making sure she stayed that way. It was because of him that she would be able to go home with her boy tonight.

"Jake…" She called out to him before she could stop herself. Jake paused and glanced back at her out of the corner of his eye. Grace suddenly found a lump in her throat. "I… thank you."

Jake blinked, clearly surprised by this. He turned more to fully face her, giving her his whole attention. As his eyes searched her face, Grace suddenly felt naked, and tried to swallow again to find the right words.

"I… I mean it. You saved my life, and you probably had no want to do so. But you did. And I am _really_ grateful for that. Thank you." She murmured, looking down to hide the ever so slight blush in her cheeks.

"Just don't do it again. I ain't paid fer this shit." Jake grumbled, but his tone was not as harsh as before. Grace risked looking up at him, and saw that he was not glaring at her, the corners of his mouth were even twitched upwards if she squinted really hard.

She smirked at him, and half joked: "Maybe I could cook ya extra food to make up for it?"

"Don't ya be goin' all soft on me now." He snorted, and gave a smirk of his own.

Grace snorted, but smiled. She watched Jake, and he watched her and he didn't make a move to leave either. There was silence, but it wasn't awkward. It just hung there comfortably between them, for nothing needed to be said. Grace surprised herself at how comfortable she felt. How could she go from being frightened and hurt one moment, to being completely content in the next? The rattlesnake was a mystery that was for sure.

"Momma!" A voice called out, shattering the moment. Grace snapped her gaze as little Teddy came shooting past Jake and launched himself at her. With practised speed, Grace caught her son in her coils and nuzzled him as he wrapped himself tightly around her. Peeping up at Jake, she saw Chuck standing there, having just dropped Teddy off. Jake glared at the fox, who gulped fearfully, before making a hasty retreat.

"Hey baby!" Grace said as she turned her attention back to her son. "Oh! Am I glad to see you!"

"Chuck was tellin' us what ya did!" Teddy said excitedly as he pulled back to look up at his mother in wonder. "Did ya really bring the water back, Momma?"

"Well it's flowing again, so I must'a done something right." Grace said with a beaming grin. There was nothing that made her feel better about herself then her son looking up at her as if she were a hero. But then she looked back up at Jake, who seemed a little awkward at this touching reunion, and so hastily put her son down. "It's getting late. Why don't we all go back to the house?"

"Okay," Teddy said. Jake just nodded.

* * *

It was evening when they eventually made it back to the farm, the sun had set and the dark and the cold of night was drawing in. Everyone was so exhausted from the day, that no one thought much about supper. Well, Jake knew Grace would get her son perhaps a bite or two but the adults were just bone-tired. Jake especially, he felt a little stiff and the stub of his tail that met the metal of his gun was aching; it usually didn't mean anything good, but both things he was more than willing to ignore. He had a bale of hay waiting for him in the barn. It might not have been comfortable or the best sleeping arrangement he'd ever had, but it would keep out the cold.

When they reached the property, Teddy went straight in at his mother's orders. Jake only gave Grace a fleeting glance as he more wanted to sleep at that moment. The day had not gone great, and he was exasperated with everything and just wanted a little moment of peace. He'd felt remarkably better after shouting at Grace – usually when he yelled at someone, he just wanted to shoot them. But that wasn't the job, and just getting all of that off his chest felt cathartic, in a way.

Grace went to the porch, and Jake turned away to go around the corner of the house to the barn out back –

"Hey," Her voice called to him softly.

He was a little surprised and annoyed. What did the woman have to say now? Couldn't she see he just wanted to go to bed? They'd said their peace, so why continue – what was it with women and _talking_? But still, he held his tongue and turned to fix her with his hard eyes. She was on the porch, though her back end was trailing down the stairs, giving her a half-on-half-off look.

"I wanted to show my appreciation for what you did today –" She went to say but Jake couldn't quite keep in his slight growl of annoyance.

"Yer already said yer thanks, why the hell ya –"

"And I noticed it's a little cold tonight," She continued, her odd words causing Jake to halt as he blinked at her in confusion. She gestured with her head to the house. "Why don't cha come in? I got a guest room that might fit you."

Jake was so shocked that he was rendered speechless – and that was something that was rarely done. Had she just said what he thought she just said? It couldn't be, miss goodie-goodie was too prideful and had made it abundantly clear in the past that he wasn't welcomed in there. But… she was waiting there for his answer, a small and polite smile on her face.

He was immediately cautious – what if it was a trap? But then, he didn't consider Grace a threat of a certain calibre enough to take him on. She was too dumb if the day's events had proven anything. So if this was genuine…

He felt something odd. He felt… _grateful_. She could've let him have a night in the itchy, stinking hay in the barn, where they could keep to their separate worlds and stay the way they had been acting. Yet she offered him a nice comfy bed in the warm, and he assumed she wouldn't murder him in his sleep – she was too taken with the law for that. Not many people would offer _him_ such a thing, but here she was, and he felt… grateful.

Saying something would have made him uncomfortable and ruined the actual nice feeling in his stomach. So he just nodded. Grace's nodded, her smile widening only slightly, before she led the way in. Jake followed her, and slowly stepped into the house.

The house was old but had obviously been made with love and care. The floor was all varnished wood, and there wasn't so much doors, instead simply large and wide arches in the walls that opened up the entire ground floor. Everything was decorated in warm colours, like soft-deep reds and sunset golds, so that it felt 'homey' and 'welcoming' whilst not feeling stifling. Jake was relieved that he didn't have to squeeze in, though he could never stretch to his full height, he could comfortably stand and that was all that mattered.

The front door led to the hallway, where the stairs leading to the second floor were immediately in front and to the left against a wall. An arch to the left just in front of the stairs led to a large dining room from what Jake could see, and to the right the wall was completely missing to open up into a large sitting room. At the back of the hallway, Jake could see another arch that led to the kitchen, where he could see the sink and part of the stove. The house wasn't built with tactical advantages in mind, he noted, as everything was too bright and open with not many places to hole up in should the premises be invaded.

A polite cough snapped his attention to Grace, who was at the top of the stairs waiting patiently for him. Remembering himself, Jake shook his head, setting his jaw as he slowly climbed the stairs. Rattlesnakes were not the best climbers, so he took the stairs at his own pace but was grateful that they were wide enough to allow him to slither up. Once he'd reached the top, Grace led the way down the hall.

Jake noted the pictures on the walls, namely of Grace when she was younger with snakes that Jake presumed were her folks, and then there was a picture of a pair of glossy snakes Jake didn't recognise at all whom he assumed were her grandparents or some other ancestor. Then he came to pictures of Teddy, of his first birthday or one when he'd had his first professional photo. Jake was a little surprised that there were no pictures of Grace's husband, not even one of their wedding or something. But he paid it no attention and followed Grace.

An open door immediately on the left of the stairs revealed to be Teddy's room and the little runt was snuggling into his bed though seemed to be waiting for his mother. The boy smiled brightly at Jake as the rattler went by, though Jake ignored him. Going around the landing, there were three more doors. The one closest to the stairs led into a bathroom; that left the last two that could only be the guest room and Grace's room. Grace stopped in front of the one in the middle, meaning her room was the one near the front of the house. Jake couldn't help but make a mental note that she not only trusted him to sleep in her house, but to sleep in the room beside hers? Granted, it was the only room available, but still, he didn't know whether to accept this or think her foolish.

"This one's yours." She said as she opened the door to reveal a small-ish room with little more than a closet, a desk and water basin and a bed. But it was large enough for Jake. "Make a mess, you clean it up. You break anything, I break your ass."

Jake scoffed, but gave her a nod. This wasn't as uncomfortable as he thought it would be. This was simple. Nothing fancy, nothing sentimental, she gave him the room, she laid out the rules, and left him at that. That was something he could comprehend, nothing complicating things and messing it all up. He offered her a nod and she nodded back. Neither spoke another word to each other as they both went off, Grace going to Teddy's room to tuck him in, and Jake went into his new accommodations, closing the door behind him.

* * *

 **A/N: Please review!**


	13. A Binding Contract

**CROWPRINCESS: Yeah, Jake was pretty pissed last chapter, I think I keep giving him a headache in this story, that's why he keeps getting so mad :P As for why Grace has got no pictures of her husband, we'll find out more about her backstory at a later date. And I will be going onto updating he Vow next, so don't worry! :)**

 **MMM: Yeah, for Grace, letting Jake inside her house was a big step - but hopefully one in the right direction! As for if they'll catch the ones responsible... it's about to get a little complicated.**

 **Guest: I've given into one of you update requests ;) the other one will be coming along as soon as possible.**

* * *

A Binding Contract

 _"Some will burn out. Some will burn bright._

 _Some learn to fly. Some will run for their lives._

 _In this town…" – Clare Bowen & Charles Esten 'This Town'_

* * *

When Jake arose early the next morning, all his aches and pains were gone. He must've been getting on, because suddenly there was nothing better than a bed that he could fit on. But he paid it no mind, and quietly snuck through the house whilst Grace and Teddy were asleep. It was second nature to just simply move as quietly as possible, so he didn't even think about the other two as he simply went about his business.

He didn't like to just be summoned over to the Sheriff's office, and in all truth he seriously didn't like working for Rango. The lizard was too soft, too disorganised, didn't know what the hell he was doing or what he really wanted out of Jake. Besides, the bullshit he spontaneously sprouted sometimes was enough to make Jake want to beat his ass. The rattler sighed, making his way towards the distant town, realising that it would probably be best that once this job was over, he only sold himself as a hit man. Usually people only wanted him to kill somebody, but just to be on the safe side, he never wanted another job like this again.

Despite the fact that he'd awoken early, by the time he came into the Town of Mud – now back to normality absurdly fast – it was of a decent enough time that people were up and going about their daily business. Of course, they all ran for cover or cowered away as Jake slithered past, and he smirked, his day already off to a good start. Though his mood plummeted again when he reached the Sheriff's office, and Rango bumbled a little greeting before apologising that they couldn't have their discussion privately because… Jake wouldn't fit in the office. Jake grit his teeth in frustration – he could've told Rango that, so why hadn't the lizard worked around it before Jake even got there?! But he soothed his temper, though he still cast the Sheriff and his friends a murderous glare as he rattled his tail. The critters were deeply unsettled, but the meeting still went ahead.

"Spoons, you and some boys went down in them mines last night." Rango said to the little white mouse. "What'd ya find?"

"Not much, it's all filled with water." Spoons said, clicking his utensil name sake together nervously as he eyes Jake. The sound of the clicking cutlery quickly got on Jake's nerves and he sent the rodent a glare to knock it off. Spoons gulped before turning back to Rango "Some bodies was floatin' round in there though, they was all glassy-eyed an' such."

"Don't be givin' me the heebie-geebies." Elgin grumbled with a shiver.

"So not all of 'em made it out…" Rango murmured, seemingly a little down at the thought, and Jake rolled his eyes. The lizard then turned to the toad. "Buford, you'll have to go fish them bodies out once we're done here, I don't want their rotting flesh contaminating our water."

"Ergh… alright Sheriff." Buford seemed disgusted, but still nodded.

"Sargent Turley, Ambrose, did you fellas go see Balthazar?" Rango then asked the two birds of the group.

"We did, Sheriff." Said the little owl-thing with his huge eyes. "Balthazar explained several of his sons left for a strange job a few weeks ago, but other than that they no know nothing of this."

"Ya trust them hill folks, Sheriff?" Jake asked with a cocked brow.

"Matter of fact, I do." Rango nodded.

"What now, Sheriff?" The little horned toad, Waffles, asked.

"Jake," The chameleon turned to look up at the rattlesnake, who glared at him to watch his tone. "You think you know where this Ramirez character might be hidin'?"

"Not sure." Jake mused. "Can find out, though. Only need to call in a favour or two, I know people who can find him."

"Good. In the meantime, we'll have to handle this delicately –"

"Meaning, Sheriff?"

"Meaning, I don't want to be going racing across the desert. That'll help nobody and get us nowhere." He said as he looked around at those gathered for this meeting. "We need to draw 'em out, get 'em where we can see 'em, and then –"

"Ahem."

Everyone paused at the polite cough, and turned to see who had interrupted them.

A fox stood before them, tall slim, his fur combed and shimmering to perfection, his face could be considered handsome as it was long and thin and his gold eyes sparkled with intelligence. The fox's black hair was combed back neatly with not a single hair out of place. He wore a burgundy suit with a white shirt and sleek black tie, his pointed black shoes shined to perfection. Jake thought the fox was wearing absurd clothes to cope with the desert heat, but the fox didn't seem to be too affected, acting with a cool demeanour.

"Bonjour Messieurs," the fox spoke pleasantly with a heavy French accent. "Forgive the interruption, but I am here looking for a… eh… Monsieur Rango?"

Rango quickly stepped forward. "That'll be me, what can I–"

"Tell 'im to get lost, Sheriff, we got more important things to discuss." Jake snapped with impatience, turning away from the fox dismissively.

"Please tell the snake to take his attitude elsewhere." The fox ground out, and everyone froze as Jake whirled to fix his furious glare onto the mammal. "I am here on business, and my issues will not wait."

"You got somethin' to say to me, big-man?" Jake growled out, his jaws open a little as his fangs slightly unfolded from the roof of his mouth. The fox only spared him a small glance with a disgusted curl of his lip.

"A thug." He grunted, seemingly unimpressed, but Jake could see the very slight tension in his shoulders and knew he was nervous. The fox then dug it into his pocket and brought out a piece of silver before he flicked it through the air to land at Jake's coils. "Take it and go. Perhaps that will please your simple mind."

Jake hissed, his rattle shaking furiously and loudly, causing everyone else to leap back away from him as if he were on fire. The rattler reared himself up high and pointed his Gatlin Gun at the fox, the cylinders spinning as they locked into place and within a moment was ready to –

"No – Jake!" Rango shouted in panic as he suddenly leapt in front of the fox. Jake didn't shoot… but the look he threw at Rango was murderous.

"Outta my way, Sheriff!" He ordered, his pupils as thin as paper and making the red of his eyes blazing. "This fool's goin' to hell!"

"Jake, please!" Rango pleased insistently. "Just calm down so we can get to the bottom of this!"

"Damn idiot's gotta death wish if he thinks he wants to deal with the reaper!"

"Alright! That's enough!" Rango said, staring up at Jake. The rattlesnake held his gaze in a very tense standoff, and Jake wondered how much longer he would put up with this before his temper snapped. But eventually, he lowered his gun. Rango sighed, relieved, before turning back to the fox. "Look, sir, now might not be a good time –"

"You will make time." The fox told him. "My name is Dufayel. I'm here because I wish to talk about a piece of… property damage."

"Well, I appreciate you coming forward, and if you were to come back this afternoon, I'd be happy to put this to rights –"

"We will talk now." Dufayel said, his lips twitching upwards in a lazy smile. "My issue is that someone vandalised a large piece of land owned by me. If that were not insult enough, I have people illegally encroaching on the property. You can see why I came to you, the lawman of this town, oui?"

"Errr… sure…" Rango said slowly. "Erm, I'm sure if you ask around town, people will be happy to help you rebuild this –"

"Oh, the property in question is still salvageable. Don't you worry about that." Jake got the sense that the fox was pulling them along, that there was something he wasn't saying by the way his grin widened. "I just want the vandals and these beggars out of my way. You understand, oui?"

"Sure thing." The Sheriff nodded. "Where is this place and I'll take a gander."

"I think you'll find it is _very_ close…"

"Al right then…" The chameleon said slowly, before his beady eyes narrowed. "Might I ask why this property is so important?"

"The property is worth a lot of money. You might call it… _priceless_ …" The way Dufayel looked into Rango's eyes, like issuing a challenge, his knowing smile widening, it was all the clue that Jake needed to figure it out. Apparently, it was all Rango needed either.

"You own the mine…" he whispered.

"What?!" the other critters exclaimed in alarm.

"How perceptive of you, Sheriff." The fox drawled sarcastically. "Yes, that gold mine belongs to me. And those workers were my employees. You've not only set me back in my production, but you've also flooded my business. So I thought it time to formerly introduce myself."

"This red-furred rat's the reason for all our troubles!" Spoons shouted angrily. "He set the fires! Took our water!"

"You have no evidence of that." Dufayel rolled his eyes.

"Shoot 'im Sheriff so we can cut off his giblets!"

"You will not. You will be breaking the law if you do, no?" Dufayel said to Rango, his smile back on his face. "What I have evidence for, is that this entire town, belongs to me."

"What?!" the townsfolk exclaimed, louder this time, and Jake really wanted them to shut up.

"You did not think that Mayor John was alone in his plans, did you? Mayor John needed money in order to fund his little project. I was his investor. During our business, we found evidence of gold beneath this town. Tortoise John was taking his project elsewhere, and so offered me the profits of the gold in exchange. Upon his… untimely death…" Dufayel cast a wary look at Jake, who narrowed his eyes with a slight rattle of his tail. "All of his business assets fell directly to me. Including ownership of all the land he bought. I own this entire town."

"That can't be true," Rango shook his head in denial.

"Pull up the records. See for yourself."

"What do you want?"

"That mine." Dufayel's eyes narrowed slightly, in that one moment, all his pleasantness gone. "I own this land, and I can have everyone here be removed from it."

"Why are you doing this?" Rango asked, and Jake had to commend how Rango was asking all the important questions (though the lizard seemed unaware of what he was doing). Dufayel wasn't even attempting to hide anything, he was spelling it out for them, so why not take advantage of that?

"Up until one year ago, the wealth of the desert was the water." Dufayel explained as he inspected his claws nonchalantly. "But, now you have an entire lake that makes the wealth of water obsolete. Water can no longer be considered a currency when there is so much of it here. Tortoise John spoke often of the march of progress… I am following that direction. The future is in gold."

"That doesn't mean much to these people." Rango told him firmly.

"I am not a heartless man, Monsieur Rango, I simply do business. I am willing to strike a deal."

"What kinda deal?"

"I know that these are homes, with families. I'm willing to reimburse everyone, pay for their troubles, so that they can start a new life. That is reasonable, oui?"

"This no good leech had better clear out Sheriff, before he gets a bullet in the head!" Elgin growled out viciously.

"I say we hang 'im!" Buford shouted in agreement.

"Send this critter back to the hole he crawled out of!" Sargent Turley wheezed. The others shouted with him, but Rango quieted them as he held up a hand for silence.

"I'm sorry, Mr Dufayel." He said to the fox politely but still firmly. "But I'm afraid this here is our home. We ain't leavin' it come hell or high water. We appreciate the offer, but you can keep the money, and we'll keep our town."

The others cheered, but Jake spied the way Dufayel's eyes narrowed, a spark of anger flooding through his golden eyes that was barely held in check. The fox lifted his head regally, a cold look settling over his features as he eyed Rango.

"This is not over, Sheriff." He spoke in a low and quiet voice. "I always get what I want. One way or another. If you don't co-operate, I will make life extremely difficult for you."

"I don't care for your tone, fella. Now I suggest you walk on out of here." Rango said as he sauntered close to Dufayel, eye narrowed. There was a moment of stillness, but the fox's composure won out over his anger, and he turned on his heel and began to walk away.

The metallic rattling sound was the only warning as Jake hissed and dove towards the fox. Dufayel barely had time to widen his eyes as Jake swooped down and circled around him so fast that before anyone could react, the French fox was held tightly in his coils as he loomed above him. Jake heard everyone else shout in alarm and reach for their guns, but he paid them little attention, instead he focused on Dufayel, applying enough pressure around him to make breathing just a little bit difficult without completely choking him.

"Jake! Put 'im down!" Rango shouted, his voice tinged with panic.

"All yer troubles would be gone, Sheriff," Jake said as he only spared the chameleon a quick glance. "All I gotta do is squeeze until them dainty-little bones start poppin'."

"We ain't gonna murder him." Rango told him firmly, but one flick of his tongue told Jake that the Sheriff was petrified in this moment. "We're gonna find him guilty, and then give him the correct punishment."

Jake grunted, disgusted at his 'brother's' lack of spine. He then turned his hellfire eyes onto Dufayel, and held the fox in his gaze, a sadistic grin growing up his face as he slowly leaned closer, and spoke in a deceptively quiet voice. "Yer damned lucky the Sheriff's so soft. What's the matter, boy? Yer shakin' a little. How's it feel to be so helpless? In the face of death, it don't matter whether yer rich or poor, we all die in the end. Don't you ever forget that, 'cause one day I'm gonna be the one who comes callin' to claim yer soul. Now look into my eyes… I want you to remember them for the rest of yer life. 'Cause next time you see them _this_ close, it'll be the last thing you ever see."

And with that last hiss, Jake released him, throwing the fox out of his coils. Dufayel stumbled when his feet hit the ground, and he looked about wildly, his golden eyes still holding some of that delicious fear Jake loved to see. But the fox quickly tried to get a grip on himself, straightening his suit and sending a cold look at Rango.

"Au revoir, Monsieur Rango." He muttered. Dufayel cast one last wary look at Jake, before he began to stalk off.

They all watched him go, Jake's lip curling, his tongue flicking out to taste the air. There was a heavy silence as everyone tried to wrap their minds around what they had learned, though Jake wasn't exactly phased by it.

"Ya shoulda let me do my job, Sheriff." Jake growled out quietly, still keeping his eyes on the back of Dufayel as the man disappeared out of town.

"I know, and I'll deal with the consequences in time." Rango murmured back.

"Shoulda sold out."

"What?!" Rango balked as he looked up at Jake. "Why?!"

"Dufayel looks like he got a lot o' money." The Rattlesnake said nonchalantly, his torso bunching in a serpentine version of a shrug. "You could've bargained any price. Woulda made a hell o' profit."

"We ain't selling!" Spoons screeched indignantly. "Rango, tell this serpentine devil we ain't –"

"Hush up the mouse before I shoot the damn thing." Jake barked. Everyone went deathly silent.

"You sounded tempted yourself, Jake." Rango mused aloud in a soft voice.

"Scared I'll go over to the other side?" Jake smirked as he glanced down at Rango, a cold chuckle escaping him. "No need to worry, Sheriff. I don't go back on a contract. That's not my style. Besides, I now got a debt I'm gonna collect on that soul one day…"

"You think he'll be back?"

"Sure of it." Jake murmured matter-of-factly. "Next time he'll have backup."

"Backup?"

"Yeah." Jake nodded to the way the fox had gone, who had now completely disappeared from view. "That right there; yer lookin' at the high-bidder who hired them Hellhounds."

* * *

 **Author's Note: So yes! We have just officially met our Big Bad of the story. I hope you guys liked Dufayel, because I'm looking forward to this dastardly villain! I also apologise for any and all mistakes, but I'm really tired and have a slight bug -_-**

 **Anyway, I hope you guys liked the chapter, all comments are welcome - please do not forget to review!**


	14. Selling Your Soul To The Devil

**Author's Note: This chapter was split into two, but I thought I'd give you guys a bigger chapter today :) Also, please go and check out a fabulous piece of art of Grace and Jake by StonecoldAphrodite on Deviantart called "Old West". It is amazing guys!**

 **Anonguest: I'm glad you really like that interaction in the last chapter - it took me a couple of attempts to try and get that part to where I was happy with it. I wanted Dufayel to come across as threatening, but Rango had to remain in character, then I needed to make sure Jake wasn't losing any bad-ass-points... yeah, a lot. But I'm glad it all worked out. And I thought the whole aspect of modernising the west was a good twist in the movie, so I wanted to explore it with the old classic gold-digging of old western movies. Hope you like where I take this!**

 **CROWPRINCESS: I know there are a couple of foxes now, but don't worry, after this chapter it will be easy to tell who's who. And this Emma Ai sounds interesting. We sure she wasn't Jake's student or something? LOL!**

 **MMM: Yep. You can bet a thousand gallons he'll be back - just lacking a terminator accent!**

 **Guest: Here is the next chapter ;)**

* * *

Selling Your Soul to the Devil

 _"I'm not going nowhere_

 _I can live all my prayers_

 _cause I'm done playing nice, I'm done running for life_

 _cause ya think that you got me scared…" Hayden Panettiere – 'Don't put dirt on my grave just yet'_

* * *

"That wasn't exactly the smartest move…" Ramirez muttered from his saddle atop his roadrunner, picking at his teeth with a claw. Dufayel curled his lip at the uncivilised coyote, adjusting his suit and sweeping it of any minuscule dust that might have gotten onto the maroon fabric from the rattler's dirty scales.

"I'm well aware." He replied curtly, his accent thick with the mutter. "But it was necessary. I am not without my manners, dear friend. It would be ungentlemanly not to give them a way out now. Besides, I have planted the seed of doubt in their minds, and I have seen how far they are willing to go – not very."

"You should've taken some of my men with you, _amigo_. Would've saved that suit." Ramirez chuckled at his own joke as he watched Dufayel adjust his cufflinks.

"Yet you wouldn't have come yourself, eh?" The fox shot his companion a withering look, contempt in every feature. "Quite the cowardly dog, aren't you."

"I have no death wish for getting on the Reaper's bad side. You're _loco_." Ramirez retorted.

"I do not think Monsieur Rattlesnake will trouble us for long." Dufayel said as he climbed into the saddle of his own roadrunner, a pure white, pristine and docile girl that retained the same sophisticated air as her owner. "We have one more business call to make. Is everything ready?"

"The kid's been watching the farm all day."

"Ah, _bien_ ," Dufayel grinned. "Then we should not keep her waiting, _oui?_ " And with that, they set out.

* * *

Rango briskly walked towards the town hall, nodding at his fellow Mud residents with a tip of his hat and an accented word here and there. To all outward appearances, he was the charming, courageous and fearless hero, even if inside, his stomach was knotting itself with nerves. But the actor in him would never allow him to slip out of the role, and so he continued on, as if he had not a care in the world.

But at that moment, he had a mission. Whilst the meeting with Dufayel had shaken him and the rest of the Mud-citizens up, Rango was adamant in his refusal. But he still needed to make sure that everything Dufayel said was true, even if there was only a single shred of truth to it. Role or not, the one thing that Rango had learned, was that it was his job now to obey the law, and if Dufayel was keeping to the law (though a shady side of it) then… he didn't know what he'd do.

Coming into the cool interior of the town hall, Rango made a quick turn and came to Angelique's office. But as he opened the door and stepping in, however, he saw the vixen was not alone. Chuck, her husband, was perched on the edge of her desk, grinning down at his wife roguishly, but his eyes betrayed him with their sparkle of pure adoration. He must've whispered something Rango didn't hear, because Angelique smiled as she fluttered her long lashes. The pair hadn't noticed the chameleon at all.

"Stop it Charles, I'm at work." Angelique tried to say sternly as she slapped her husband's arm, but that tiny smile on her face gave it away.

"And you know how good you look in that – I swear you do it on purpose just to tease me." Chuck grinned at her as he leaned closer.

Angelique chuckled. "Now I know you're digging for bones." She tried to push him off her desk and restack her neat piles of papers. "Now stop it, you're going to make a mess."

"Love it when you talk dirty." He waggled his eyebrows at her. Angelique giggled, and Rango was astonished – he never would've thought someone as _un-childish_ and reserved as Angelique could giggle like a schoolgirl.

" _Mon amour_ … you're a northern pig." She chuckled as she grabbed hold of his jacket and pulled him a little closer, and Chuck chuckled huskily with her. "Now you'll have to stop before I – Sheriff!" Her eyes widened when she finally noticed Rango at the door.

"Oh, don't mind me!" Rango quickly held up his hands, his checks turning a furious red at having been caught staring. Angelique's expression was mortified, and he quickly began to back up. "I'll just leave you two to –"

"No Sheriff! Please, my husband was just leaving." Angelique hurriedly said.

"I was? – Ow!" Chuck yelped when his wife stamped on his foot.

"It's fine, I was just here for some records." Rango said as he came back in, though he now wanted to leave them alone as quickly as possible.

"What kind of records, Rango?" The vixen asked.

"I want a look at Mayor John's old files."

"Sure." Reaching into a file cabinet, Angelique pulled out a hefty folder and put it on the desk with a loud _THUD_. "Here."

"Mighty appreciated, Angelique." Rango murmured, though gulped at the sheer size of the thing – it would take forever to sort through!

"What is all this about?" She asked.

"Well, we might have found our culprit to our little problem."

"Really? Who?" Chuck raised his brows.

"Some rich guy, thinks he owns the town to dig it up for gold. I ran him out, of course." Rango added with his usual bravado. Angelique merely rolled her eyes as she picked up her glass of water for a drink. "But I just want to see if there's any money where his mouth is." The chameleon couldn't help but chuckle at his own joke.

"Who was he?" Said Chuck.

"Some French fox." Rango shrugged as he leafed through the first pieces of paper in the file. "Called himself 'Doof-eye-ell'."

Angelique dropped her glass of water to the floor, where it smashed with an almighty _crash_!

"Dufayel?!" She whispered, her face seeming to drain of colour, even through her fur.

"Yeah, why? You know him?"

" _Sacré bleu!_ " The vixen gasped, her eyes wide, and Rango was astonished to see her trembling. He'd never seen her so out of composure before. Quickly picking herself up out from behind her desk, the woman quickly walked around them towards the door. "I-I have to go!"

"What?" Chuck blinked, clearly as startled by this as Rango. "Angelique?"

"Hold on a minute now, hold on!" Rango quickly stopped the woman, making her turn around to look at him as he eyed her with concern. "Angelique, what is going on here?"

"Sheriff Rango, everything Dufayel says is true!" She told him in a rush. "You'll find them in Tortoise John's business records, Dufayel legally owns all of the mayor's land ownings. But I didn't think he would–"

"Wait, do you know Dufayel?" Rango frowned.

"Yes… he is my uncle."

"What?" The Sheriff recoiled, shocked. "You knew about all this?"

"No!" Her eyes widened. "I swear, Sheriff, I had no idea! The last time I saw my uncle was when he and Mayor John started doing business together! And even then I did not speak with him. He has always remained in the cities, he prefers the money. A couple of weeks ago, though, he wrote me a letter."

"He what?"

"It simply offered me asylum, but I didn't know why he said such a thing at the time."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Chuck asked as he came forward to stand beside his wife, holding her arms in his paws, watching her face with concern.

"I thought it was nothing, my uncle being his eccentric self!" Angelique whispered, her shaking only becoming worse. "If I had known…"

"Angelique, is there anything you can tell us that might help us?" Rango put in.

"Oh, Sheriff Rango! Please, do not get into this fight! Dufayel is a man you must not cross – it will be the end of you and this town!"

"He's already threatening our homes for a gold mine– Hey, where are you going?" He asked in slight panic when the woman once more made her way towards the door.

"I… I'm sorry Sheriff, but…" She hesitated, but closed her eyes and sighed in defeat. "I'm taking my children and leaving."

" _WHAT?!_ "

"I'm sorry!" She blurted, the guilt clearly torturing her face. "I love my home, this town, and I wish to stay, I want to help. But Dufayel is ruthless and powerful. He will not stop until he gets what he wants, even if he has to kill for just what is salvageable. If you refuse, he will turn this into war. I'm taking my children far away from this, I won't have them caught in this fight."

"Wait, Angelique, no!" Chuck grabbed onto her arm. "We can't abandon this place, it's our home."

"Charles, _please_ ," His wife begged him. "Come with me, we have to go!"

"We can't just abandon our friends and neighbours."

"Charles, I am afraid of the danger if we stay." She held onto his shirt in a white-knuckled grip, as if she feared he would disappear if he let go. "Please, I can't leave you here, but we have to go! If you love me… please…"

There was a very long silence, all the while Rango shifted from foot to foot, nervously watching the silent exchange between husband and wife. Surely they couldn't be considering this? Suddenly, Rango felt extremely alone. It was like he was back inside his glass box again, a vacuum that separated him from everyone else. It made him feel lonelier than ever. Chuck looked into his wife's imploring eyes, and Rango knew the decision he would make.

"I'm sorry, Sheriff," Chuck sighed quietly. He then steered his wife towards the door, and opened it for her. "Come on, let's go."

Rango stood there alone as the door swung shut behind them, the emptiness of the room reminding him of his vacuum once more.

* * *

"I know it's not much…" Grace said as she and Beans watched over the boars as they snorted happily at the trough, only a few of the females plump with offspring still in their bellies. "But those thieves got off with half of my girls. The ones I do have now, most aren't pregnant – wasn't their turn this year. So what you see is what you get, I'm afraid."

"If they're from you Grace, I know they're gonna be mighty fine." Beans said with a polite smile.

"Thanks." Grace smiled back. She liked this rapport she had with Beans, it was a professional relationship, one where both parties respected the other, and Grace could actually have a conversation without the stench of fear hanging in the air. There were times when the glossysnake thought with longing that perhaps she might have had a female friend, but Beans was all business and straight to the point. So she was content to keep things how they were. Shrugging off her thoughts she gestured with her head to her stock. "You got your eye on one?"

"Yeah… I think I might go for that one." Beans pointed to a young male that had only just matured, he'd filled out nicely in order to give himself plenty of bulk. Grace knew that one was energetic and had stamina, but was a docile and easy creature.

"Good choice." The glossysnake nodded. "Considering all your help with everything lately… I'll let you have him for half price."

"Only half price?" Beans cocked an eyebrow.

"Hey, I'm letting you get first pick, aren't I?"

"Darn it, I thought you were gonna throw him in for free." The desert iguana smirked with slight amusement.

"I have to make _some_ money, Miss Beans." Grace grinned back.

"As must we all, _Mademoiselles_."

Grace and Beans whirled around at the sound of the strange, accented voice, eyes widening slightly in surprise. A fox in a maroon suit stood smiling at them, looking extremely civilised and out of place with the desert stretching out like the cloak of death behind him. But both females gasped when they saw who was standing behind him.

Their eyes immediately caught on a snake, a large one, and Grace felt her insides quiver in fear when she realised that it was a Mojave Kingsnake. He seemed young, for he was only a centimetre or two longer then Grace, and his scales were unmarred by any form of scar or blemish, with a vivid white and black banded pattern that caught the eye. He wore a white hat and a gun holster around his middle, where a single silver revolver glinted in the sun. The snake was smirking at her, his eyes alight with interest and excitement.

But the one that caught Grace's attention most, was the familiar coyote behind the fox, his torn ear and belt of teeth and claws ringing in Grace's memory. Ramirez Arvenga: The Black Scourge. When he noticed that she'd seen him, the coyote grinned and gave her a wink. Grace felt her stomach tighten again in fear, but she felt anger course through her, knowing suddenly who she was dealing with. Grace was thankful that Teddy was out the back playing somewhere, and prayed that he would stay there.

"Is there something I can help you with?" She asked a little nervously.

"Good afternoon," The French fox smiled, showing off his pearly teeth as he gave an elegant bow. "I am _Monsieur_ Dufayel. You must be the lovely ladies, Madam Beans and Madam Grace, I've heard so much about."

"What are you doing here on my property?" Grace asked tightly as she eyed the strangers.

"No need to be so cold, dear lady, I mean you no harm." Dufayel feigned offence, but kept up his smile.

"I'm in the middle of something, so I'd like you to leave my property." She shot a glare at the coyote. "All of you."

"We've only just arrived, _Amiga_ …" Ramirez grinned with a condescending chuckle.

"I want you out."

"Ooh, this one's got bite. I like her." The kingsnake leered as he looked Grace up and down in a way that made her scales crawl.

"I think I'm a little old for you." She muttered dismissively as she cast him a glance.

"Only by a couple of years." He shrugged. "And I like the thought of an… _experienced_ woman. Whatdoya say, sweetcheeks?"

"Enough, Henry." Dufayel scolded quietly, and the kingsnake rolled his eyes but fell silent. "Forgive my men, they have no civilised manners. It is so hard to find good help out here."

"I thought Grace told you to get on outta here. So get!" Beans barked with narrowed eyes.

"I will when I'm done." Dufayel's charming façade slipped for a moment with the impatient snap, though he quickly set it back in place. But when both females glared at him, he sighed and his smile vanished. "Very well, you are both straight to the point, I see. Fine. I am here to make you an offer."

"What kind of offer?" Grace narrowed her eyes.

"I am in the middle of a great business venture. But there are a few pieces of the puzzle I am missing. Namely, what I am standing on."

"The dirt?"

"I want to buy your lands. Your farm, Miss Grace, and your ranch, Miss Beans. And I am willing to pay a lot of money in exchange."

"I didn't sell out to the mayor, what makes you think in hell I'd sell to you?!" Beans immediately became enraged.

"Because I already own the town, and I am willing to pay you both handsomely for both of your lands. You could be very rich women, if you help me."

"What is it you want?" Grace asked darkly as she glared at the fox.

"You know very well what I want. You saw it for yourself." He replied curtly.

"Wait, he's…" Beans trailed off as realisation hit her.

"Yeah." Grace finished for her.

"Why you…" The brunette was shaking with the force of her anger, before she suddenly pulled out a revolver from the back of her waistband. "You yellow-bellied, cock-eyed, ass-pullin', sonofa–"

"Oh no you don't." The kingsnake, Henry, suddenly lunged forward with unimaginable speed and wrapped himself around Beans in an instant, holding the woman firmly in his coils but not tight enough to choke her. Grace had heard of the deadly speed of kingsnakes, it was how they hunted other snakes, but it horrified her to a whole new level to see it herself.

"Beans!" She shrieked and immediately went to lunge forward to bite and free her friend. However, she was stopped in her tracks when she heard the click of a gun being armed, and saw the coyote aiming his guns at her face. She froze.

"Ah-Ah, do not move _amiga_ , or I will add your teeth to my –"

" **Enough**!" Dufayel boomed, causing everyone to flinch back in surprise. Taking a deep breath to calm himself, the fox spoke between gritted teeth. "I will have none of this ruffian behaviour. Ramirez, put away your gun."

"But _amigo_ , I was just –"

" _Vous êtes stupide!_ " The fox hissed in words Grace didn't understand. But Ramirez slowly put his guns away, casting a glare at Grace. Dufayel then turned to the kingsnake. "Now, Henry, release Miss Beans so that we can continue this in a civilised manner."

Henry immediately did as he was told, roughly dropping the iguana to the ground where she hurriedly but shakily got to her feet with a gasp. As he slithered his way back to Dufayel however, a leer came over his features. Without warning, he slithered his heavy coils over Grace's body, and it took all of her willpower not to shriek in surprise at the contact. He held himself over her, rubbing his neck against hers rather suggestively as he brought his head alongside hers. Grace clamped her jaws together to try and prevent herself from reacting in any way, though her body burned with outrage. But when Henry flicked his tongue out beside her ear, she couldn't help but snap at him, though her jaws closed around air as he dodged aside.

"Don't tempt me, sweetcheeks," He winked at her. "Ya never know, I might like it rough."

"Get. Off. Me." She hissed between clenched teeth. Despite Grace's absence with the opposite sex, and her secret longing for that kind of contact, this felt wrong. Henry was too forward in his approach, too hands-on (figuratively speaking), his scales too smooth for her liking, and his grip too tight. It felt wrong.

Henry leered. "But I'm mighty comfortable–"

"Henry!" Dufayel hissed. The kingsnake hid a sour and impatient expression, before slowly slinking off of Grace and returning to stand behind his boss. "Forgive–"

"I believe you already have our answer." Grace snapped at the fox, still trying to recover her dignity. "We ain't selling. Now get out."

"I would be careful, _Mademoiselles_." Dufayel glared at them coldly. "I am a patient man, but a man who will do anything to achieve my goals. I would hate to have to show you what I can do in order to convince you."

"What'cha gonna do, charm us to death?" Beans sneered.

"I could take what is most precious to you, should you not agree." Dufayel said in a voice so devoid of emotion, so black in its intent, so edged with malice, that Grace couldn't help a shiver run down her spine as her coils tightened to make her slightly smaller. "You Miss Beans, are all alone, so I'll enjoy finding out what makes you tick. You however, Miss Glossy, you do not have that luxury. So many little pieces of yourself that could–"

"Don't you even _think_ about touching my boy!" Grace snarled, shooting forward until she brought herself only an inch from Dufayel's face. All her previous fear was gone, to be replaced by an old anger she thought she'd long since buried where no one should've ever seen it again. "You hurt one scale on his body, and I promise there won't be much left of you or your men!"

Both Ramirez and Henry aimed their guns at Grace when they saw their boss being threatened. But Beans then raised her gun also, unflinching.

"No." Dufayel said, a slight smirk on his features as he held up a paw, signalling for his men to put away their firearms. "Come. We have done enough work here."

"I got a bead on you, fancy-man." Beans growled out fiercely as she trained her gun on him. "So you walk out real slow, 'less you wanna spend the rest of the afternoon puttin' your face back together!"

"As you wish." Dufayel sneered. He and his men began to walk away, Dufayel mounting onto their roadrunners, whilst Henry slithered through the dirt. Once in his saddle, the aristocratic fox cast the women one last look of contempt. "Remember what I've said, madams. I will be patient. But I won't wait forever."

And with that, they headed off into the desert, leaving the foreboding farewell ringing in Grace's ears.

* * *

Jake didn't return to the farm until much later that evening, when Grace and Teddy had already eaten. She supposed that it was because he was out either doing whatever the Sheriff was hunting, or had simply been out patrolling. Or just doing whatever the hell he wanted. Grace thought it was probably the latter.

The rattlesnake came into the house with an irritable grumble under his breath, closing the door behind him with his tail a little more forcefully then required. Grace restrained herself from snapping across the house for him to mind her property. As it was, she could hear Jake making his way towards the stairs, obviously not wanting to socialise, but damn it if she hadn't been slaving away at the stove and had left him a piece that it was going to go to waste now.

"You ain't even gonna eat?" She called out, and heard his movements stop.

There was a long silence, and she waited to see what he would do, silently cursing herself for her impulsive behaviour. Then, she heard the scraping of scales as he came back towards the dining room. With a single look over her shoulder, Grace told Teddy silently to stay in the kitchen and finish cleaning up, as was his chore. Wrapping her tail around the pot on the stove that had been kept warm, she lifted it and carried it through to the dining room.

Snakes don't need a table per se, but Grace's mother had been adamant on being civilised, and so her daddy had purchased a table to please her. Whilst there were no chairs, it was still enough to put a meal on it before a snake could devour said meal whole. Jake came into the room, eyeing Grace grouchily as she placed the pot on the table.

"It's roast roadrunner." Was all she said. Jake rolled his eyes but relented as he came and put himself at the table, and she saw his nostril twitch a second before his tongue came out to taste the air.

Jake was not an expressive person, only showing what he wanted others to see, but Grace somehow knew, just by that alone that he was pleased. It made her smile triumphantly as she left him to fish the meat out of the pot before working his jaws to swallow it. She'd only been in the kitchen ten minutes, when she heard Jake speak – he must've eaten quickly.

"The Sheriff's woman came into town," He said, and his voice was particularly unreadable, for Grace could detect no malice or other negative emotion, but neither was it void of it. She left Teddy in the kitchen again, a little nervous and wanting to be able to at least try to read Jake's face if not his voice. But even his eyes were devoid of meaning as he watched her. "She said ya had a little visitor. The damned fox."

"Yeah, he came by here." Grace replied evenly.

"What'd he want?"

"Wants me to sell my land to him – and Miss Beans, too."

"A highflautin', prissy, stuck-up bastard." Jake growled under his breath. Grace would've said something about such foul language when her son was within ear-shot, but then he was speaking again. "He came into town wantin' to scare them folks out. Practically confessed to everythang. Got people worked up – gave me a headache."

"Didn't the Sheriff stop him?" Grace frowned.

"That cowerd's too much of a boot-licker to do nothin'." The rattlesnake spat, before eyeing her. "I'm guessin' you told him 'no'. You got about as much sense as the rest o' these folks."

"I'm not giving up my home." She told him defiantly. "Not even if he comes in with his whole cavalry next time."

"Whatcha mean by that?" He looked over at her sharply.

"Well, he came here with his–"

"Who?" His slit pupils became as thin as paper, and Grace tried to push away the slight nerves she felt at his rising anger.

"Just a snake and the Coyote, Ramirez–"

Jake reared up until his black hat was almost brushing the ceiling. "Ya mean to tell me that ya had that piece of shit here and ya didn't think to call fer help? Are ya dense?!"

"Jake, you wouldn't've been able to do nothing even if I did." Grace defended. "And I had everything under control."

"I doubt that."

"I am not a damsel in distress, Jake. I don't need you saving me all the time."

"If you would stop being such a dumbass, I wouldn't have to!"

"Excuse me?" Her eyes went wide in outrage. "Alright then, what would you've done if you'd even been here to be the big macho-man, hmm?"

"I wouldn't be standing round talking, that's fer sure!" He growled with a flash of his folded fangs behind his lips. He then spoke with a dark satisfaction that made Grace's scales shiver with fear: "I'm brought in when people need to leave this world for good. His soul I would've gladly taken down to hell. Nothin' gets rid of a problem like a bullet between the eyes."

"No."

"No?"

"I'm not having that lawlessness on my property, Jake!" Grace snapped with all the anger she could muster. "This is my house, and we will respect the law–"

"Goddamnit! Yer worse than the Sheriff! Neither of ya have got a spine to do what needs doin'!" Jake yelled in irritation.

"But I got plenty of dignity to do what's right."

"I'd watch that goody-goody attitude of yers, woman. It could cost ya yer life." He growled in a scolding manner.

Instead of feeling angry, Grace averted her eyes, suddenly quite ashamed. Her cheeks blushed ever so slightly, and she clamped her jaw shut to keep herself from snapping. She could feel Jake's stare over her face, and tried to shrug off the shiver she felt.

"You gotta stop being this reckless."

"What?" She snapped her head back to face him. "You can't order me around!"

"I can, and I will. Damn-it, woman!" He snapped at her, and once again Grace was extremely surprised to see something aside from anger in his eyes. It was easier to spot this time, but she saw clearly a look of ever-so-slight worry in his eyes, which was where his anger stemmed from. And as she stared, she noticed that upon Jake's left bottom eye-lid, was an extremely faint scar from a previous battle. How could she have not noticed this before? But then he brought her attention back to the present. "It ain't been too long since ya nearly drowned. If yer so desperate to pass on to the next world, tell me when and I'll send ya there. But on my watch, you ain't gonna be so stupid."

"Jake –" She tried to say softly, but he spoke over her.

"I ain't finished." He growled. "Yer gonna do as yer told and be more careful. I ain't gonna let you get killed 'cause you gotta play hero again. I'll–"

"Jake…" Grace quickly but gently placed her tail over his, pushing it down as her tail wrapped around the cold metal and touched his flesh. Instantly, he stilled, looking down at their touching tails in what she could only assume was shock, his eyes wide and his body rigid. She hoped she hadn't offended him. "Thank you," her soft voice brought his attention back to her face briefly. "I appreciate your concern…"

Normally, Jake would've made a snappy retort about how unconcerned he really was. But his mind couldn't untangle itself from the mess it had become at her touch. He looked back down at how her tail was light placed over his, he could feel the brush of her smooth scales against his rough ones and the weight of her on the metal of his gun. He was stunned by her willingness to touch him, something everyone else was too afraid to do voluntarily. But what surprised him more… was how soft and how _good_ even that brief little touch felt. It lit a tiny fire inside his lower belly, one he couldn't quite be sure of in its existence, let alone what to name it. It disturbed him.

Grace awaited his answer as the heavy silence grew around them, making her feel slightly nervous with each passing second. Then without warning, Jake wrapped his thick and muscular coils around her, making her gasp in surprise as she felt his hard and rough scales press around her. He being the bigger snake, he quickly wrapped her into submission, and she could feel the strength in his body as he held her, his face coming to loom above her own with that same unreadable stare.

Grace suddenly found herself short of breath, and she didn't know why. Despite how frightening her situation probably was, she strangely couldn't help her mind from analysing how Jake held her. She felt the strength in his every fibre, that he could crush her if he wanted, and yet his hold was not unpleasant. He exacted the right amount of force to restrain her, putting her at his mercy and making her feel bare to his hellfire eyes. But at the same time he was gentle enough not to hurt her. There was something possessive, yet tender in his embrace that made her stomach quiver with anticipation, but for what, she didn't know. His smoother underbelly was at her back, and she could feel the beat of his steady and strong heart, soothing yet making her own quicken just a little. And then she couldn't help but think of how Henry had held her earlier today. Where Henry had made her scales crawl, she couldn't resist realising how _right_ Jake's touch felt in comparison. She stared up at him with wide brown eyes as he brought his hard and unreadable mask closer to hers.

"Promise me." He ordered in a voice that was quiet, but firm, brokering no argument. "You gotta promise me yer gonna call for help next time."

Grace felt helpless to say anything other than: "I promise."

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you guys liked the chapter! :D I certainly loved it! Here's something some of you might like to know: After some discussion with KaijuDirector007, we've decided on the voices for Grace and Dufayel. For Grace - Scarlett Johanson. And for Dufayel - Mads Mikkelsen. :)**

 **Also, the character of Henry is an OC created by KaijuDirector007 and is based off of Frank from "Once Upon A Time In The West"**

 **Until next time!**


	15. Stories

**Jamylla: Helllllllllloooo new reader! First of all, thank you for checking out my story, and secondly thank you for leaving such a positive review! I'm impressed you've read the story (so far) twice! And I hope you continue to like where this story is headed. And you like Henry? I think you're one of the only people who does :P but still, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself.**

 **Anonguest: I think Angelique and Chuck are the underdog couple of this fic ;) so I'm very happy to see that you enjoyed them so much! You have no idea how much I appreciate that you like Dufayel! Well, when I say 'like', I mean that you don't think he's the cookie-cutter type, as you say. I really want to make Dufayel a good villain, so it makes my day when I see comments like yours. I'm so happy you like Grace/Jake moment! Hooray for progress!**

 **CROWPRINCESS: I'm glad you liked the two chapters in one, it wasn't that difficult to do, I was just too excited to get to the next chapter. Plus, the second chapter would've been waaaaaaaaay too short. And I'm happy you like the sweetness :)**

 **Guest: thank you thank you thank you!**

 **MMM: Yeah, Grace's been away from the opposite sex for a fair few years now. I think she misses some of the... ahem, "experiences" one can have with the them ;) As for when they get together, Grace and Jake's romance will be slow burning, but rest assured it will start to happen soon. And that is a good idea to give the adults their time for "fun" hahaha!**

 **Guest: Here is the next chapter! ;)**

* * *

Stories

 _"Them that don't know him won't like him and them that do,_

 _Sometimes won't know how to take him._

 _He ain't wrong, he's just different but his pride won't let him,_

 _Do things to make you think he's right." Waylon & Willie – 'Mammas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys'_

* * *

Jake checked and rechecked his gun was fully loaded – after Rango had managed to trick him into emptying his gun of bullets during that bat fiasco, he made a habit of keeping it fully loaded. The Gatling Gun was sticking a little as he shifted the barrels, annoying him, and he could hear it creaking ever so slightly. Not a good sign. The rattlesnake hissed irritably as he knew he would have to try and deal with it when he got back. For now, he had somewhere he needed to be.

After a rather frustrating day yesterday, what with the reveal of Dufayel and all, Jake was more than ready to actually get _something_ done correctly. And he had just the thing for that: the saloon. Usually he wouldn't go anywhere near a place of alcohol, he wouldn't even touch it with a ten-foot barge pole. But, there were special circumstances where he knew that it was the best place to be, especially during jobs when he could learn so many things from loose tongues.

He made his way through the front yard of Grace's house and found her and her son putting the finishing touches to the little pig-huts they'd constructed. Grace was screwing on the last bolts for the locks on the doors, as Teddy passed her any tool or screw she needed. Jake didn't say a word to them as he passed, for his mind wandered back to the events of the previous evening, when he'd had Grace pressed against his coils… He shook his head of such thoughts. However, just because Jake didn't say anything to them, didn't mean he went unnoticed. Teddy heard him passing by and instantly snapped his head around to look at him with a big grin.

"Hi ya, Mr Jake!" the boy called out excitedly. Jake spared him a glance but carried on his way. This still didn't deter the child. "Where're you going?"

"Off to the saloon." He stopped, turning to give the kid an impatient glare, hoping he would get the hint and stop asking questions. However, Jake hadn't foreseen that his answer would pique the interest of the mother.

"Oh?" asked Grace as she looked up at him. "A little early to be drinking, isn't it? Didn't know you had that acquired taste."

"I don't." Jake snapped curtly. "I'm going there on business."

"Have someone there you need to meet?"

"The Sheriff needs to bring down this fox, he ain't gonna do that without information." A smug smirk crossed his features. "Information I can get."

"At the saloon?" Grace frowned.

"Strangers pass through every day, and they all go there. No one bats an eye there, no one takes notice. I'm thinkin' somebody there might be able to tell me something. Men's tongues are always a little looser with a drink." Jake also knew that it turned them into disgusting cowards, barely worthy of existing, but he thought not to say that out-loud. "Besides," he said instead. "I might win me some money at a game of cards while I'm there."

"You play poker?" Grace asked, a slight smirk dancing at the edge of her lips. For some reason this tiny little smile, this sort-of challenge in her stare, made him turn to face her a little more.

"I win it." he told her smugly. "I like it, 'cause it's easy to tell someone's fear when they play against ya, and their fear reveals their cards."

"Not my Momma!" Teddy declared proudly. "She could beat anybody with cards. She's got the best poker-face in town!"

"Really?" Jake quirked a brow in Grace's direction. "If that's so, we'll have to play a game sometime. I'll enjoy watchin' you squirm." His voice dropped low, the leer in his gaze making his double meaning obvious.

He felt amused satisfaction as she rolled her eyes at him in exasperation. "If you say so."

"Mr Jake," Teddy said slowly, his brow creased as if in deep thought. "How do ya play? Your tail's a gun."

"It's fer more than just shootin', kid," Jake flicked his tail around, spinning the barrels with just a twitch of a well-practised muscle. "Ya gotta learn to live with everythin' life throws at ya, turn it to yer advantage. With this, I can…" He tried to shift the gun, turn it the way he wanted, but the metal began to stick and squeak loudly. Jake knew that sign, it was a sign of rust; more than likely from where he had saved Grace from drowning a few days ago. He knew he'd have to oil it, which would be difficult. He tried to force the gun to turn, more forcefully this time. "With this, I… God- _Damnit!"_

Losing his temper with a snarl, he pointed the gun and shot off several bullets. As always, with his precise eye, he hit his target. A bucket of bolts and tools was penetrated and knocked over with a loud clang. Grace yelped and flinched away from the sound. Satisfied that he'd finally gotten it working, Jake snorted as he held his metal tail up for inspection with a glaring eye. He didn't even notice Teddy's wide eyes staring from him to the fallen bucket.

"Whoa… That was so cool!" the boy cheered. "I wish I could do something like that! Jake, I wanna be like you when I grow up!"

"No you will not!" Grace suddenly spun to face her son, her eyes blazing in outrage. "Hell will freeze over first!"

Jake sent the woman a glare, for some reason not appreciating the way she spoke of him as if to be anything like him was to be something close to excrement. "Appreciate the good thoughts."

"You know what I mean…" she sighed.

Teddy looked at Jake again, his eyes narrowing as his tongue darted in and out. "Mr Jake… you're a rattlesnake, right?"

"Unless yer eyes are more screwed up then I thought, yeah, I am." he replied curtly. Grace sent him a scowl for the remark.

"So… where's your rattle?" Teddy asked.

"Teddy!" Grace scolded. "It's rude to ask people questions like that!"

"Sorry." Her son ducked his head. "I just wanted to know if he… swapped it."

Jake snorted sarcastically. "Trust me, it wasn't my choice."

"Was it an accident?"

"Sorta."

"Who done it?"

The rattlesnake paused, a scowl coming over his features as he spat out the words: "A damned hawk."

Grace gasped, despite herself. "What? What happened?"

"I was a brat, out where I wasn't supposed'a be. Didn't listen to what my Momma told me." he added with a glare cast in Teddy's direction, though the boy barely noticed as he was so engrossed in Jake's story already. He paused a moment, a little uncomfortable with telling the story, though he shrugged it off as if it were meaningless. "Hawk came down, tried to snatch me up for dinner. We struggled, and the damned thing's claws ripped straight through me. Cut off the end of my tail right there."

"So did ya have to get a new one? Is that how you got your gun?" Teddy pressed.

"You could say that."

"Who gave it to you?"

"Let's just say…" Jake murmured as awful memories flashed behind his eyes, turning them cold and angry, though not directed at his audience. "That I found myself in a very awful place, where I met someone–"

"Is he your friend?"

"Probably the closest thing I got to one."

"Who was he?"

"He's an iguana, a desert one, named Reth, though you might know him as 'the Carpenter'."

"The thief?" Grace cut in. "Doesn't he leave a little wooden figure for whatever he takes?"

"Yeah, he's an idiot for that," Jake muttered.

"So Reth gave you your new tail?" Teddy asked, desperate to get the story back on track.

"Yeah, he did. Did an operation on me that could've killed me. But the son-of-a-bitch thought it _fascinatin'_ to try it out on me."

Grace cleared her throat loudly at Jake's choice of language.

"He must've been awful nice," Teddy said, not seeming to notice.

Jake snorted. "No he ain't."

"But you're friends with him now, aren't you? That's what you said."

"Only 'cause we have to work together."

"Do you know many other criminals like the Carpenter, then?" Grace asked, and he could tell by the look on her face she didn't know if she wanted the answer.

"Of course," he told her anyway. "We make up the Gunslinger Court."

"What's that?" Teddy asked, wide eyed with interest.

"Outlaws would tear each other apart if there weren't a peckin' order." Jake said. "We got ourselves a hierarchy, made by us, the outlaws. This way we can keep in contact when we need others to do a special job, we can share resources and such. Only the best at what they do get in."

"Are you in the Gunslinger Court?"

"Course I am. You could say I'm 'king' of the lot of 'em." He told the boy with a smug smirk spreading across his face. "Nobody is higher than me, no one goes over my authority. What I say goes. They all fear and obey the Grim Reaper."

"Whoa…"

"Is Ramirez Arvenga part of the court?" Grace asked.

Jake snapped his gaze to her, eyes bright with anger at the very idea. "He sure as hell ain't!"

"Oh… well, why not?"

"That piece o' shit ain't no true outlaw." Jake snarled, his lip curling in disgust. "He's a thug, an ambitious little asshole who ain't nothin' but a waste of space. He's like them Jenkins Brothers: thought he was all that. Could talk the talk but couldn't even waddle the walk. He tried to weasel his way into my Court before. When he first sneaked his way up from the south, he was tryin' to make himself new connections. But everyone saw right through him, and ran him out."

"What about a… kingsnake?" Grace asked slowly, something hidden in her expression.

"Only kingsnake I've ever met, is dead." Jake narrowed his eyes on her, wondering what she was getting at. "Was only a couple years ago. A worm barely older than a kid, thought he would make it big and take me out. I stuffed his mouth full of bullets."

Grace thought over everything Jake had said, finding it a rather… ' _enlightening'_ experience. But there was still so much missing. There were holes in the story, and she knew that there were parts of it that he had very clearly not said, probably because he didn't want to discuss it with them. That was fair enough of him. Grace knew that she certainly had things in her closet she would never tell _anyone_ about, let alone Jake.

But still, his story inspired… sympathy. Even if she didn't know the full story, and even if he wasn't telling them the truth (he could've been making it up for all she knew) there were still undeniable parts of it. Either way, Jake had lost the end of his tail, he'd lost the very thing that made him a rattlesnake. She could not imagine losing her tail at all, it was a horrifying thought to be crippled in such a way. And for that, she felt a sliver of her heart waver a little for the pit-viper. He'd suffered, clearly, but he'd also overcome it, and had compensated for what he'd lost and pushed himself to accept these changes and adapt to them. She could admire that.

And as she saw him struggling with his tail again, trying to get the barrels to move so he could reload the one or two bullets he'd fired, she knew her mind was made up.

"Come with me," she said. Jake looked at her , frowning in confusion and suspicion. But she merely turned and spoke to Teddy as she turned to leave the paddock. "Teddy, clean up for me, please."

"Yes, Momma." He said and began to do as he was told.

Grace left and headed in the direction of the barn, and without any idea of anything better to do, Jake followed her. His curiosity was piqued as she lead him round to the barn, though he narrowed his red eyes on her, keeping them fixed on her back. Call it an old paranoia, but he never liked giving someone control of a situation, it made him too vulnerable.

Once in the barn, he stopped in the very centre of it, as Grace wrapped her coils around a beam and reached up towards a shelf high on the wall. Jake frowned in confusion when she threw down an old soiled rag first, and then reached for a small can of oil. Placing it carefully on the floor, she uncoiled herself from around the beam and came in front of him.

"This is my daddy's gun oil," she said softly, keeping her attention focused on her task as she carefully opened the can. "He used to use it on all his shotguns." She met his eyes. "It'll fix your gun. It'll stop it sticking and creaking, and also clean up any of the rust."

"Thanks," he murmured and went to pick up the rag when she snatched it up herself.

"Give me your tail."

"What? Why?" he demanded defensively.

She quirked a brow at him as if it should be obvious. "So I can clean it for you, of course,"

"No, I'll manage just fine, thanks." He stubbornly tried to snatch it from her, but she scowled as she moved it out of his reach.

"Oh, don't be stupid. It'll take you ages by yourself. Just…" her tone softened, and she averted her eyes to the ground. "Please… let me."

Jake was quite astonished by the offer, that she would do this for him, nobody had done this before. Intrigued as well as a little shell-shocked, he nodded mutely and watched her with close attention.

Silently, Grace coiled herself on the floor, and with her tail, she gently guided his gun into the lap of her coils. Her touch was as soft and warm as it had been last night, and as she wrapped herself firmly but gently around the base of his tail, Jake couldn't help but stiffen. Seeming to not notice, Grace kept her attention on her work, picking up the rag with her tail and dabbing it into the oil can. She then slowly and carefully began to rub the oil into the gun, cleaning each and every barrel almost expertly, as if she had done this many times before. She didn't say anything, didn't even look at him, keeping all of her attention on what she was doing, and Jake was grateful for that.

As she worked, he studied her intently. His eyes roamed over her face, which now that he thought about it, wasn't that bad. She could be considered a pretty-thing, especially by her own species, he was sure – and outside of it, now that he remembered she'd had a husband of a different breed. Her brown eyes were warm and delicious like deep chocolate, and her head was thin but angular to catch the light. She didn't have a young-girl appearance. No, she was a real woman, he could tell by the structure of her body, the angles of her face, she was filled out, developed and well-rounded in all the right places. He even had to admire her sleek body. Whilst Jake was more used to the bigger vipers that he visited in the whore-house across the valley, he still appreciated a fine body when he saw one. She was slim but long, made to wrap around her mate, built for _comfort_ with her partner. Yet she was springy, a fast moving serpent, and he knew she had stamina that would let her keep up with anything she was given.

Yes, he would admit an attractive woman when he saw one. And as his mind wandered to such carnal thoughts, he felt that fire in his lower belly begin to stir. Perhaps it had been too long since he'd paid the whore-house a visit, but he couldn't deny that he thought a tumble with Grace would be… invigorating. It would at least be enjoyable for the sheer act of it, and corrupting miss goody-two-shoes to give in to such a _bad-man_ would make it so much more entertaining. He couldn't help but smirk.

His eyes then drifted to her tail. He watched as she handled him, her touch gentle, her grasp respectful. She took great care with everything she did, making sure to do it properly. He had never expected her to touch him willingly, let alone do this service for him. No one ever wanted to touch him, no one helped him like this. They thought him capable of doing it himself or knew he would kill them if they tried to imply he was too weak to do it himself. But Grace was fearless, but the way she did this didn't make it feel like he was weak. She made him feel like he was… he didn't know.

But still he was… grateful.

* * *

 **Author's Note: The response to last chapter was brilliant guys! Thank you so much! Keep these reviews coming, tell me everything on your mind, including the good, the bad and the ugly!**

 **News! The last scene in this chapter has art! I've posted it on my deviantart account, so please go and check it out if you like.**

 **Also, this story has a TV Tropes page! :D Yaaaaaaay! The wonderful Olmo has created it for us, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for doing so. There is a link to it on my profile page, so please could people go and check it out and show it some love! Thank you!**


	16. Invitations

**Guest review responses:**

 **Guest: HERE IS YOUR CHAPTER! Hope you enjoy. ;D**

 **MMM: You left me 2 reviews! Thank you! I'm glad you like the rapport between Jake and Teddy, it's obvious the kid idolises him, however wrongly (and hilariously) that might be. As for if Teddy will ask Jake for pointers, I'm not sure. Maybe? And thank you, I'm pleased you liked the pictures :) And oooooh! Fantastic ideas! I may do something like just for you ;)**

 **Anonguest: Who knows, maybe Jake is learning a little patience? maybe? Nah! But I'm so pleased you liked Jake's backstory. In no way is his story over just yet, there are still plenty of things that we're going to find out about him, and I hope you're prepared! And sorry for the confusion, but the kid Kingsnake Jake killed was not Henry - but we'll learn more about that later! But most of all, I'm glad you like the progress. In all my romances, I'm of the mind where one step (either forwards or backwards) needs to be taken every chapter, so that we're not hanging in the same place for ages and ages. If that seems too fast, please tell me!**

 **Guest: Here is the next chapter!**

 **CROWPRINCESS: I'm glad you like the art :) I hope to do more as we go along. And I will be doing more on Shen and Lianne as well - and you will be excited to know that I plan to release the epilogue chapter for "The Vow" before the end of the month! :D Yay!**

 **Jamylla13: Sorry for the long wait on this chapter as well :P The holidays were not that kind to me... But of course I replied to you :) I reply to everyone I can. And lol! Fangirl-Squeal all you want! I have more squeal worthy moments coming very soon! ;) I hope you enjoy this chapter my wonderful reader!**

* * *

Invitations

 _"He's the Devil in disguise, a snake with blue eyes_

 _And he only comes out at night_

 _Gives ya feelings that you don't wanna fight_

 _You better run for your life!" Carrie Underwood 'Cowboy Casanova'_

* * *

The morning sun was shining brightly when Grace looked up to find unexpected visitors coming up to her property. At first she tensed, fearing that it was Dufayel and his lackeys come back for round two. But as the figures drew closer, she sighed in relief as she saw that the three individuals were too slim and short to be her new-found enemies.

It turned out that it was Beans, smiling politely as always. Pricilla was beside her, looking around at Grace's farm with her huge golden eyes sparkling with interest. Grace was surprised to see that the figure standing behind them was a little woman mouse, and after a moment, Grace recognised her as the mother that she saved from the fire. The woman was trembling nervously, wringing her hands as she looked up at Grace. But the glossy snake ignored it, and instead returned Beans' polite smile.

"Mornin', Miss Glossy," Beans said as they approached

"Mornin', Miss Beans," Grace said back to her, unconsciously lowering herself to seem as small and unthreatening as possible whilst also getting down to their level. "Gotta say, wasn't expecting to see you."

"Well, Mrs Bigby wanted to have a word with ya," Beans said as she pointed her thumb to the mouse beside and behind her.

Grace's brows rose slightly. "Oh?"

Beans nodded. "So I thought I'd introduce ya,"

"Where's Teddy?" Pricilla cut in, looking unafraid up at Grace. "That worm done chicken out of our last bet, he needs to pay up."

"Pricilla!" Beans scolded.

"What was the bet?" Grace asked, chuckling despite herself.

"I dared him to hit a tin can with a pebble." The cactus mouse shrugged.

Beans rolled her eyes. "Off of sleepin' Tom."

"He missed." Pricilla shrugged again, as if nothing had happened at all.

Grace chuckled again, her smile growing wider. "He's out back," she turned around and called over her shoulder, "Teddy!"

"Yeah, Momma?" came the little voice as Teddy came around the side of the house. As soon as he saw Pricilla, his eyes widened and he hasted his slithering until he was standing beside his mother. "Pricilla?"

"Hey ya, squirt," Pricilla said with a small smile.

"Momma! My chores are done, can I go play with Pricilla? I wanna show 'er the creek. _Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeease_?" Teddy rushed to say as he whirled around to look up at his mother.

Grace immediately became a little anxious, the creek could quite treacherous. "I don't know –"

"Please Momma!" Teddy begged.

After a moment of indecision, Grace sighed. "Do you promise to be careful?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright, just don't go where you can't see the farm. Ya hear?" She ordered sternly.

"Yes, Momma!"

And with that, snake and mouse when racing off towards the back of the property and towards the creek. They only just managed to avoid hitting a wall of sandy scales as Jake came around the corner. But the children didn't even break their stride as they continued on their way. Jake watched them leave with an irritated curl of his lip, before looking over at Grace and the newcomers.

By the way his eyes narrowed ever so slightly, Grace knew he was annoyed. "Didn't know ya was expectin' visitors."

"Beans just came over, needed to talk with me about somethin'." Grace explained.

"Is that right…" the rattlesnake murmured as his fiery eyes settled on Beans. Mrs Bigby shrunk behind her friend with a terrified tremble to avoid the hellfire gaze.

"Jake." The desert iguana said stiffly.

"Woman." Jake said just as snappily. He then turned away, making his way towards the barn. He spoke over his shoulder to Beans dismissively: "Tell yer Sheriff them Hellhounds have gone to ground, we're gonna need to weasel 'em out."

"Why don't you go tell 'im yourself?" Beans retorted.

Jake only paused a moment in order to growl. "I weren't askin'."

And then, he left.

"Pig." Beans muttered.

"Ignore him. I usually do." Grace told her, trying to smooth the atmosphere.

Beans smirked.

"So what did ya come all the way out here for?" the glossy snake asked.

"Mrs Bigby wanted to talk with ya,"

Nervously, the mouse woman stepped forward, swallowing thickly as she stared up at the snake, "Hello Miss Grace."

"Hello Mrs Bigby," Grace said softly, trying to put her at ease. "How're you and the little one doing?"

"W-We're doing good, thank you," Mrs Bigby stammered. "A-Actually, that's why I'm here, I wanted to th-thank you, for what you did."

"There's no need, Mrs Bigby." Grace shook her head. "I did what I could."

"If you hadn't come when you did, I know my baby and I would be dead… you have no idea how frightening that is, to think my baby was so close –"

"I know, more than you'd think." Grace looked at the floor, trying to wash away memories that threatened to surface and bring with them the heartache and grief they always did.

"I owe you my life, and my son's." Mrs Bigby stepped forward bravely, anchoring Grace in the present. "If there's anything I can do, I want to repay the favour."

"That's very kind of you, Mrs Bigby, but there's really no need. You just take care of yourself and your little one," Grace told her.

"There's no point tryin' to talk her out of it. Once these Bigbys get an idea in their head, ain't nothin' gonna get it out." Beans smiled.

"I gotta try, otherwise I'll have mice trippin' me under my feet," Grace laughed.

"Serves you right for being a darn fool – what other idiot would go into a roaring fire?"

"What can I say? I like the heat – gives the scales a crispy tan."

"Ha! That sounds like somethin' Rango would say!"

Grace laughed heartily. "Sorry, Beans, but _nothing_ compares to what that lizard comes out with,"

"Oh, don't get me started. The amount of times I've had to make him sit his ass down to –" Beans' eyes widened as she clasped her hands over her mouth. Grace knew of the society code that frowned upon women using such bad language, her own father had scolded her for it one too many times. Beans offered them a sheepish smile. "Oops. Sorry, that kinda slipped out,"

Grace rolled her eyes. "Beans, I'm a farmer, you're a rancher, we got no time for prissy formalities. As far as I'm concerned, cursing is our native tongue… Just don't say it round Teddy, I have enough trouble with the Rattlesnake's foul mouth."

"Huh, I can believe that." Beans grunted.

"Sometimes it's all I can do not to hit him over the head with a fryin' pan every time he opens his mouth,"

Beans laughed.

"Oh, Grace!" she wheezed as she wiped a tear from her eye. "I never knew you could be funny. Makes me wonder why we kept such a professional relationship before? We could'a been friends much sooner."

And just like that, Grace felt herself tense as all the mirth faded from her body. "Well… I don't really blame you… most folks don't wanna get too close, you know, 'cause of the whole snake thing."

Beans quickly sobered. "Oh, Grace, I'm so sorry,"

"What for?" Grace blinked.

"I should'a known better, you ain't done nothing to hurt me. Hell, you're not like any other snake," Beans said, and Grace was surprised to hear real regret in her voice. "I should of known better than that, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry, Beans, I'm used to it," the glossy snake shrugged. When Beans didn't seem appeased by this, she leant forward and whispered: "But if it's any consolation… thanks."

"Tell ya what," Beans said, her eyes brighting with the spark of an idea. "Me and Rango are goin' over to the Saloon later tonight, just for a few drinks and a laugh. Why don't ya come along?"

"Me? Really?" Now Grace was sure she was hearing things.

"Sure, consider it a sign of new friendship."

Grace gaped at the lizard. "But what about Teddy?"

"Oh, I-I could watch over him," Mrs Bigby piped up.

"Mrs Bigby?" Grace asked. Had the world just gone topsey turvey in the last few seconds?

"My husband can watch our baby," the mouse explained. "I'm good with kids, consider this my repayment."

"Well– I, uh, thank you," Grace said a little awkwardly, before turning to Beans. "Are you sure I wouldn't be intruding on anything?"

Beans scoffed. "No, the more people Rango can show off for, the happier he is."

"Well… I suppose I could… It's been a long time since I went out, much less dressed up for anything."

"All the more reason to come!" Beans beamed. "You can come out, have some fun, take yer mind off of everything,"

"You know what…" A slow smile built on the snake's face, as real excitement began to take root inside her. "Yeah, that does sound like fun."

"Oh yes… _loads_ of fun."

The three women froze at the sound of the new voice.

Grace turned her gaze to see a bobcat perched on her fence, sitting perfectly balanced. The bobcat was inspecting her long claws, long lashes hooded over bright gold-green eyes. She had a thin hat perched between her ears, dressed in a tightly fitted vest with denim jeans and high heeled boots. Guns were strapped to her waist in their holsters, and when she looked up, Grace felt a dangerous shiver run down her spine.

"Who are you?" She asked out to the stranger, manoeuvring herself between the bobcat and her guests. Mrs Bigby did her best to appear invisible as she hid behind Beans.

The bobcat smiled dazzlingly, and Grace noticed the bright red, perfect lipstick. "Surprised you don't know me, honey… and here I thought I was quite infamous. Well, I was until this new Sheriff stole my thunder." She leapt down from the fence and landing on her feet flawlessly.

Beans spluttered in confusion. "Stole your–?"

"Don't worry, sweet-eyes, it went over your head." The bobcat gave another smile, though this one was condescending as she walked closer.

Grace narrowed her eyes. "I won't ask again. Who are you?"

"Oh, honey, I'm men's worse nightmare." The woman looked up Grace, flashing her perfect smile as she strutted forward, confidence oozing into every step. "I'm their last little kiss goodbye before they leave this world… but no one can resist luscious red lips."

Beans sucked in a sharp breath and Grace looked over her shoulder to stare at the suddenly pale desert iguana. "She's the scarlet –"

And then Beans froze. Just like that, she ceased moving, as still as a statue. Grace was quite alarmed, but didn't want the stranger to sense any weakness, and so pretended that everything was fine. But she still circled her coils around her friend protectively. Though Beans hadn't finished what she said, it was still enough for Grace to recognise who was before her.

"The Scarlet Kiss," she spat with no attempt to hide the loathing in her voice.

The bobcat grinned, this time not so sweetly. "Bingo, sugar."

There were many tales surrounding the infamous woman who had been named the Scarlet Kiss. Some said she used to be a little school teacher, but when drunkards took advantage of her, she turned to a life of man-murdering crime. Other people said she had an unfaithful husband, so she went and shot him down in revenge, and liked it so much that she became the killer she was now known for. No one really knew what happened, all that Grace _did_ know, was that the Scarlet Kiss stole, raided and murdered her way into the wanted lists. Every victim she left behind, she left a bright red lipstick-kiss on their cheeks as a calling card.

"What the hell do you think you're doing on my property?!" Grace demanded.

"Relax, sweet thing," the bobcat purred. "I ain't here to give you a kiss, that would mean you'd have to die. You're far too much _fun_ to die just yet."

"Answer the question!"

The Scarlet Kiss rolled her eyes. "What I'm here for is nothin' you should concern yourself with, darlin'."

"– You know that shellfish makes me swell up!" Beans suddenly cried, making Grace jump and turn to look at the reanimated woman. Beans blinked and looked about, confused, before a blush swept through her cheeks as she realised what she blurted out.

"What the hell was that?" Grace asked.

"It-It's a defense mechanism…" Beans mumbled, her blush deepening.

"Well, my lovelies, this has been _so much_ fun, but I need to get going." The bobcat tried to walk around Grace to get onto the farm, but the glossy snake purposefully planted herself in her path.

Grace glared down at the woman as she raised herself high in the air. "You ain't stepping one more foot. I don't let no outlaws on my land."

"That's not what I hear," The Scarlet Kiss purred with a smirk.

"Get out."

"You gonna make me?" The bobcat quirked her brow playfully.

"If I have to."

At this, the woman burst into fits of laughter, until she was holding her stomach and wheezing for air. "Oh, aren't you just precious! Honey, let's be clear –"

"No. You get something clear." Beans said, surprising Grace again when she whipped out a gun from her belt and pointed it at the bobcat. "You listen to the lady and get outta here."

The smile on the Scarlet Kiss's face vanished, and in its place was a dangerous look as those green-gold eyes looked over every inch of Beans' body, as if examining her from the inside out.

"Careful, sugar. Someone could get hurt…"

Beans scoffed. "Bet you ain't faster than my trigger finger."

Faster than Grace would've thought possible, the bobcat whipped out her own revolver and pointed it at Beans. All three women froze.

"What do you say now?" her eyes were as hard as flint.

"Delilah!"

The familiar guttural shout had everyone's head turning, and Mrs Bigby let out a squeak of fright. Grace turned to see Jake, gigantic and glowering as ever. His red eyes were narrowed and clearly angry, focused on the bobcat whom he had called 'Delilah'. Grace was filled with confusion, which then turned to outrage as Delilah sauntered past her towards Jake.

"Too bad, kiddies, that's my cue. We'll have to do this again sometime." She flashed them a smile before turning back to Jake. "Hey there, handsome,"

"Quit the bullshit," Jake hissed immediately.

"You're no fun. As always." The bobcat pouted.

"You got anything to report?" Jake pressed.

"No." Delilah stood a little straighter, as if she were a soldier talking to her commanding officer. "Wherever the son of a bitch is, he ain't letting out a peep."

"Keep diggin'." Jake rattled his tail as his eyes surveyed the horizon. He focused on Delilah once more as he spoke again. "I don't care what ya gotta do, you find where Remirez and them boys have gone. I want him found."

"Sure thing."

"And Delilah," Jake growled out in a quiet voice. "Don't do anything stupid. You find out anything, you come back and tell me first."

She nodded. "Yes sir."

"Same goes to Reth, and see who else you can wrangle in on this."

"You not huntin'?" Delilah asked.

Jake's eyes shifted to Grace only momentarily. "I'm stuck on babysittin' duty till the job's done."

"That sweet thing?" Delilah cast a grin at Grace over her shoulder. "I could think of worse jobs…"

"Get outta here," Jake snapped.

"Yes sir." Delilah said, respectfully and with all of her previous bravado gone.

Jake nodded to her, and without another word, the bobcat turned and strolled off of the property. As soon as she was gone and out of earshot, Grace turned her angry gaze onto Jake. Slithering forward, she came to stand in front of him.

"What on earth was that about?!" she demanded in a hiss.

"I want this job done. The sooner I find Ramirez, I find Dufayel, the sooner I kill him and be on my way." Jake told her dismissively.

"So what was she doing here?"

"I figure I need others to look into this whilst I'm stuck here."

"And you know her, how?" Grace asked.

"Delilah Rangler, the Scarlet Kiss, third highest ranking outlaw in the Gunslinger Court. She can find out anythin' and everythin'." He nodded in the general direction that Delilah had gone. "That right there, you was lookin' at the person who _really_ killed them Jenkins Brothers."

"What makes you think you got the right to be calling in outlaws onto my property?" Grace demanded angrily.

Jake finally looked at her properly. "What?"

"Having you here is bad enough, I don't want no other outlaws coming here–"

Jake brought himself extremely close, his lips curling as his pupils thinned in anger. "Don't think you can tell me what to do, woman."

"My house, my rules." Grace bit back unflinchingly.

"Don't get yer tail in a twist," Jake muttered. "I ain't callin' in no others."

Grace wondered if she should trust the outlaw, and narrowed her eyes for a fraction of a second, before she released the breath she hadn't even realised she'd been holding. "Good."

"Uh, Miss Grace?"

Turning at the sound of the little voice, Grace blinked in shock at seeing Pricilla and Teddy standing behind her, both looking guiltily at the ground. Teddy was slightly out of breath, completely soaked with a slight graze on one of his cheeks.

"Good Lord!" Grace exclaimed as she turned to completely face the children, eyes wide as she looked down at them. "Teddy, what happened?"

Her son swallowed nervously as his eyes darted to hers and then away. "Well, I was… uh…"

"He bet he could jump the creek," Pricilla said for him. "He didn't make it."

"You fell in?" Grace narrowed her eyes disapprovingly on the boy. "How many times do I have to tell you to be careful?"

"Sorry, Momma," Teddy mumbled.

His mother sighed. "Go inside and get yourself dry and warmed up."

Without another word, Teddy slunk into the house, only casting one forlorn look at Pricilla before disappearing inside. Beans walked up to Pricilla, touching her shoulder softly.

"And I think we better be going as well," she said pointedly to the mouse girl.

"Weren't my fault, I told him he couldn't do it." Pricilla said defensively.

Beans just rolled her eyes before looking up at Grace with a smile. "I'll be seein' ya tonight then, Grace?"

"Sure thing," Grace returned the smile eagerly.

"I-I'll be here around sunset," Mrs Bigby said, trying to give a brave smile.

"Alright, thank you Mrs Bigby. You lot take care now!" Grace said as the three visitors quickly departed.

Much to her surprise, Jake was still beside her when she turned back around. His eyes were focused on her, narrowed suspiciously, as if he were trying to figure something out. His eyes lingered on her before flickering over to the retreating backs of Beans, Pricilla and Mrs Bigby, and then back to her.

"What was that about?" he asked, arching a brow.

"What?" Grace replied innocently.

"You goin' somewhere tonight?" His tone left no room for denial.

"That's none of your business," she tried to say stubbornly.

"You have a habit of gettin' yerself in trouble," Jake rumbled, his eyes narrowing further. "So where are ya goin'?"

Grace wanted to just refuse to say anything, to keep being stubborn just to spite him. But couldn't. "Bean invited me to go out for drinks with her and Rango."

"Really…"

"Don't worry, you won't need to watch Teddy. Mrs Bigby is going to babysit for me."

"The mouse?" Jake quirked a brow.

"Yes."

His eyes looked her up and down. He grunted. "Didn't think ya were a drinker."

"I'm not," she retorted, somewhat aware that they'd said these words before. When Jake continued to watch her, she fidgeted uncomfortably, feeling the need to explain herself. "I haven't gone out in… well, _years_ , really." The fact that her social life had literally been non-existent since her marriage suddenly made itself apparent. It almost made Grace sad that she'd been left out of so much for so long. Though, that also made her more determined to go tonight. "It will be nice to go out and have some fun for a change."

Jake snorted. "Doubt there'd be any men there to yer tastes."

"And you know what my tastes are?" She raised her brow at him in challenge.

Jake's eyes glinted in a strange way. "Yer not the kinda girl who goes for those bartendin' types."

"And what kind of girl am I?" she asked, enjoying this little game. If the rattler wanted to look clever, he was going to be sorely mistaken.

Jake grinned, showing his needle sharp teeth. He slowly leaned closer to her, something predatory in his eyes. "I bet yer the kinda girl who likes to keep things… _primal_."

"Primal?" Grace echoed, suddenly a little nervous as she edged back ever so slightly.

"Oh yeah," Jake rumbled, coming closer still. "I bet miss goody-two-shoes is just _dying_ to have a bad-boy show her just how far she can break the rules…"

Grace found her mouth was suddenly dry, and she swallowed thickly, trying to remember that this was just a game. Only with an iron will did she beat down the blush that threatened to swarm her cheeks. She made herself straighten up, pretending that Jake hadn't gotten through to her.

"Shows what you know." She eyed him coolly. "I'm nothing like that."

She didn't see Jake's smirk. "Sure."

"Don't think that tongue of yours will get you any points with me," she told him sternly as she shot him a glare.

Jake chuckled. "Oh, I know my tongue could score me _many_ points."

Grace once again fought back a blush. "I know how you _bad-boys_ are."

"Oh?"

"You think you can flirt and growl in that deep manly voice and I'll swoon for you. That's probably how you get all your girls, before you move onto the next." Grace told him, allowing the truth of the words to settle in her own mind before her body could betray her. "Not gonna happen. I'm onto you, cowboy."

She turned away from him and stalked back into the house. Once again, she didn't see Jake smirk to himself as he watched her go.

"If you say so…"

* * *

 **Author's Note: What's up guys!**

 **So I am sorry this chapter has taken awhile, but the holidays just took up a lot of time, and honestly, I just wanted to relax over Christmas break. I hope that everyone had enjoyable holidays, and a Happy New Year to you guys from me! I love you all so much! I also apologise for any and all mistakes in this chapter, but it is really late here and I've been working all day -_-**

 **I hope that people liked Delilah, she was a character I cooked up when I first thought of the Gunslinger Court, and honestly she was so funny to write with her flirtatious banter! XD**

 **See you guys next time!**


	17. Poker Face

Poker Face

 _"_ _She gives up what she wants to do for what she has to_

 _That's what a Momma does,_

 _And she'll be there like she always is_

 _When the sun comes up…" The Strong One – Clint Black_

* * *

Jake was a little surprised at the excitable energy in his Glossysnake host. She was almost like a child, and he was a little irritated by it. She kept bouncing around, a permanent grin stuck on her face. What was most uncharacteristic of her was that she rushed through making dinner so that she could then disappear upstairs to her room in order to get herself ready.

It was sunset by the time she came down. Jake was in the living room simply relaxing and looking over his Gatling Gun, making sure everything was working as it should do. Teddy was off somewhere in the house. Jake heard Grace make her way down the stairs, and turned his head in time to catch her at the bottom.

The hardworking mother was transformed into a young southern belle. Or at least, that's what it seemed like. Instead of her usual black ribbon and pendant, Grace had a double string of pearls wound around her neck. Her scales had been scrubbed and shined until they gleamed, she even held herself with a daintier air. She'd even applied makeup to her face, her eyes accented by dark shadows on her eyelids, eyeliner accentuating the parts of her lids where mammals had eyelashes. Blusher made her cheeks rosy, and she even had a small bit of lipstick on. For a brief moment, Jake thought that this was what Grace would've looked like in her young-girl days. He had to admit (though silently), she looked dazzling.

"Teddy's gonna be off to bed soon," he realised that she was talking to him, and quickly focused. "You won't have to worry about him, and Mrs Bigby should be here soon–"

"You don't let nothin' happen," Jake snapped more out of habit to be snappish, rather than actual spite. "And don't be out to stupid hours, ya hear?"

Grace rolled her eyes. "Yes, father."

He glared at her.

Her excited smile returned as she reached for the front door with the end of her tail. "Alright, I'm off! If anything happens, just–"

"Momma?"

Grace whipped her head around at the frail little sound. Jake too twisted his body so that he could see. Teddy was standing up at the top of the stairs. He looked dreadfully pale, his eyes heavy and sunken. He was leaning against the banister, and even Jake could see the boy shivering as if from cold.

"Momma, I don't feel too good," the boy murmured weakly.

Jake watched Grace. He saw her eyes widen with slight worry, her body instinctively leaning forward to go to her son. But she hesitated for just a fraction of a second, reminding herself of where she was meant to be. Jake saw the moment when her decision was reached. He watched her tail slip from the door, and he saw the moment when her face fell. And then she was moving towards Teddy, as if everything had been forgotten.

"It's okay, baby," she said softly as she made her way up the stairs. "It's probably where ya fell in that creek. You caught a cold. Come on, I'll get you tucked in bed and a nice warm drink."

As she led Teddy out of sight, Jake couldn't get that expression out of his head. That second-long look of such utter disappointment, of loss, it made his coils squirm. The look was hardly noticeable, and anyone lesser then him would have completely missed it, it was gone so fast. But Jake had survived these long years by being able to read people, and every single fleck of emotion that went through them. So he was stuck with that crestfallen look that refused to let him relax.

There was a knock at the door, and Jake scowled at it. That must be the babysitter. Jake knew just from that memorable expression, that Grace had decided that she was abandoning her outing trip tonight. Jake had to admit that such selflessness of a mother, to give up what she wanted for the sake of her offspring, was something Jake had never truly seen in such a person. Although his own mother had been a good woman and he'd loved her, Grace was on another level entirely. With these thoughts, he opened the door.

"Hi, Miss Grace, I – _ah!"_ the little mouse gasped when she beheld the hell-fire eyes that glared down at her through the doorway.

Jake had already decided on an impulsive course of action, and as such, it made him hiss at the startled woman. The rasping sound and flash of fang was all it took to make the woman run from the house, terrified.

With a chuckle, he closed the door. Following the impulse, a seed of an idea began to take root in Jake's mind. He then began to rummage through the many drawers in the house for a deck of cards.

It was dark outside by the time that Grace came down the stairs and found him at the table in the dining room. He watched her, body seeming to hang from her frame, makeup smudged where she'd been lying down, that crestfallen look still on her face.

"Mrs Bigby come by?" she asked, usual vigour not in her words.

"Yeah," Jake said. "I told her to come back another day,"

Grace sighed.

"I was gonna play solitaire…" Jake gestured to the cards he had laid out on the table in front of him, "but you wanna join me in a match of poker? Wipe that look of a smacked ass off yer face."

"Aren't you the charmer," Grace muttered sarcastically. She sighed again, but she still eyed the cards on the table, considering. "It would appear that I've got no other plans tonight. Go ahead."

Jake hid his smirk of triumph. Finally, he would have a chance to learn more about this curious little snake. Although he did invite her to play due to her depressive mood, he also had ulterior motives. People usually talked over drinks or games, and this would be the perfect opportunity to learn. He wanted to try and see if he could get under her skin. He had some questions about her that he needed answered. And also, the kid had boasted about her apparently 'legendary' poker-face, and Jake wanted to see this supposed skill in action for himself.

He dealt out the cards whilst Grace hunted through the house and found an old set of poker chips for them to play with. She divided them equally between the pair of them, and sat down at the table opposite him. Jake nudged her cards towards her, and she took them in the end of her tail. With practised ease, Jake managed to balance his cards on the curl of one of his coils. They began to play.

Grace was the first to speak, "My daddy used to say that poker's always best with a glass of whisky. You want some?"

"No," Jake said shortly as he threw a chip in for the minimum bet. "I hate the stuff."

"What do you want then? Gin? Beer? Afraid to say I got none of that," Grace said as she matched his bet.

Jake's hard eyes looked up at her. "I don't want a drink."

Grace quirked an eyebrow, either not noticing or ignoring his warnings. "A man who don't like his drink? Why's that?"

"Hate the stuff." Jake tried to make it clear that he wanted to drop the subject.

"Why?"

"My daddy put me off."

"How?"

His glare made it clear that he wasn't answering.

"Suit yourself." She shrugged. They began to play, exchanging cards to try and match those in the centre. "Where'd you learn to play?"

"You pick up things here and there," he said, glad for the change of topic. "How about you?"

"My daddy taught me,"

"You two close?"

"We were. He died just before Teddy was born." She looked up at him, frowning. "What we bettin' with?"

"No actual money on the table. I know you got shit all." He almost chuckled when she sent him an exasperated look. "Yer daddy raise you here?"

"Mostly," Grace said. She put in two chips for the next bet. "My momma died when I was still a girl. Tumour. My daddy took it on himself to raise a fine young lady. He wasn't a holy man, but he was adamant that I be respectable."

"I'll raise ya." Jake put in four chips. "So how does a 'respectable' woman go to bein' a walkin' scandal?"

Grace shot him a withering look. She didn't bother to respond.

He growled impatiently, "I asked ya a question."

"I'll answer it as soon as you answer my earlier question." Was her tight lipped retort. The end of the round came, and they both displayed their hands. Grace had won.

Jake scowled.

"Okay, I'll tell you what, let's make this interesting." She leaned forward, a cunning gleam entering her gaze. "Instead of playin' with money, we're gonna trade in secrets. Whoever wins a round asks a question, and the loser has to answer – with the truth."

Jake thought about it for a moment. "Deal."

They dealt the next hand. They both kept silent as the round played on, only speaking when they wanted to raise the bet. Jake could almost say that he felt excited. There was a competitive air between them as they tried to best one another. Jake had to admit that her poker-face was indeed _that_ good. Jake tried all of his usual tricks, such as making himself larger, rattling his tail every now and then, snatching her gaze with his piercing eyes, even flicking out his tongue to try and scent her emotions in the air. But nothing worked. Grace remained a blank slate that he was unable to read. On one level, this bothered him that he was unable to have any effect on her, but on another level, he was grinning at the thought of a challenge. He would need all his wits and intelligence in order to win this game.

"Yer boy was right, ya do have a good game-face," he commented, breaking the silence.

"I should think so," Grace snorted in amusement. "I've had enough time to develop it. The only reason I have it is because I've had to put on a straight face through countless tantrums when Teddy was a toddler."

"Impressive," Jake said. "But ya still leave yerself open."

"Oh?"

He knew she got flustered whenever he flirted with her. He flicked out his tongue slowly, tasting the spoors in the air that poured off of her. Closing his eyes, he hummed appreciatively. "I can smell it."

She shifted uneasily, but still kept a straight face. "We'll see."

They played the rest of the hand. Grace's hand beat Jake's with a royal flush. He cursed.

"Yes!" Grace cheered, a triumphant grin on her face. "Alright then, I'll go first. Something simple: how were you raised?"

"Like anybody else," Jake responded in a carefully neutral tone. He already knew this line of conversation was going to lead to something _bad_. "My father was James Douglas, and used to be a bit of a cowboy. My mother's name was Selena. We lived outside of a town a dozen miles away."

"What were they like?"

"My mother was a fair woman," Jake said. He had to pause a moment to remember, it seemed so long ago. "She never bothered nobody, but she was a hardass. She didn't take no shit from no one. But she loved to laugh."

"And your daddy?"

His voice suddenly turned cold. "You ain't won enough hands to ask that question."

They played the next hand. Now that Jake knew exactly what he was up against, and what he had to lose, he was more determined to win the game. But once more, Grace's poker-face was quite impressive. Jake made the best he could with his hand, but Grace won out again.

She didn't miss a beat, "I'll ask again: what was your daddy like? How did he and your momma meet?"

"Why the interest?" He narrowed his eyes at her.

Her smile was playful, almost flirtatious. "I want to know the truth behind the myth. How did Rattlesnake Jake become the Grim Reaper of the West?"

"That's a long story."

"That's why I'm asking a little question at a time."

"Fine." He said, wanting to get this out of the way. "My father married my mother and they had a happy little family. That what you wanna hear? Or would you rather hear how the doting husband began to turn into a deadbeat drunk who came home every night to hit his faithful wife?"

Grace gasped.

" _That's_ what my father was like." Jake growled.

They played on in silence. Jake could almost feel Grace's eyes focused on him, though he paid her no visible attention. She seemed uncertain of where to tread, though he knew she wasn't done. This lapse in attention cost her the battle. She lost her hand to Jake's superior royal flush.

"I win." He seemed almost relieved rather than smug. "Right. Tell me how you went from being daddy's girl to bein' all alone."

"That's more then what I asked you!" Grace's expression was indignant.

Jake smirked. "You weren't smart enough to ask the right question."

"I'll correct that next time."

"I'm sure. You made the rules, now stick to 'em."

"Alright." She sighed, looking at the table for a long while. She was clearly uncomfortable, but as she herself had put it, they were both curious of the other's hidden skeletons. "I was young when Benjamin first came to the region. I was probably – what, nineteen? Anyway, he was passin' through looking for work. My daddy gave him a little job on the side, and we became close."

"How close?" Jake didn't know why that question suddenly felt so important.

"He was handsome, charming, a nice guy. I'd never really been around boys before, and he couldn't seem to stay away." Her voice was almost wistful, her expression turning soft as she looked back to the past. "He took me to dances, he would talk to me for hours on the porch just to pass the time, he even took me out to see the pretty lights on the human road one night. I couldn't help but fall in love, he swept me off my feet – figuratively speaking."

"Yer daddy just let this happen?"

"He thought Benjamin was a waste of my time, always said how he'd never be anything; that I could do better. But all daddies say that to their little girls." She chuckled. "So one day Benjamin asked his permission to marry me, and I practically jumped the gun to race down the aisle."

Jake suddenly found her way of describing her ex-lover to be rather uncomfortable. "Every other time ya talk about him, ya get yer tail tied in knots. What changed?"

"Everything. We were married for a year, and I was the happiest woman in Dirt. But then one day, I came home, and found my house empty. I waited for him to come back, for hours. But he didn't. My husband had gone. Next day, lawyers came stalking round my house telling me to get out. All my furniture and my house had been sold out from under me. My _wonderful_ husband had run off without a word to me and taken every single penny with him."

A bitter silence lay over them. Jake absorbed what she had told him, and thought over it all. Grace was still angry over the betrayal – that much was obvious. But he'd guessed just as much as this. Grace hadn't told him anything new, really.

Her expression was stony, and she suddenly stood as she moved away. "Excuse me. You might not want it, but I think I need that drink."

Jake waited for her as she went into the kitchen. She came back with a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. Despite the fact that he had clearly stated otherwise, she still offered him the hospitality of it. Jake wasn't a sentimental snake in the least, but he found that he appreciated the gesture. Grace poured herself a glass before necking it back in a single huge gulp. She shivered as the alcohol passed into her gut.

They played on. Although the topics of their questions were rather intrusive and not exactly cause for friendly conversation, an air of… content seemed to pass over the room. Grace seemed to ease up and relax, even though he could feel her curiosity bubbling away at her. The next hand, Jake knew his cards were abysmal, and so folded. Grace agreed that folded hands didn't count as a loss and so they played on. Jake silently thanked her for that. They both played easily, and a companionable silence enfolded them. The next hand Grace folded, and the game carried on. They swapped words and banter, easing the tension that had built up. Jake had never known that being in the presence of someone else could be this easy.

But his luck had to run out eventually. The next hand he played, he lost. He sighed as he leaned back, knowing he couldn't avoid it forever. "Alright. Shoot."

"If your daddy was so bad, why didn't your momma go to someone for help?"

Jake was confused. This was not what he'd expected. "I thought you'd learned your lesson about askin' the right questions."

She gave him a small but sincere smile. "I'm working on it."

He was almost thankful for the easier question. "Who would my mother go to? She had no family of her own, and nobody in town wanted nothin' to do with her. She was a snake, a devil in their eyes. The Sheriff's deputy, Amos, he despised her most of all. Kept sayin' she was a no good woman-snake who needed to clear off where she weren't wanted."

"That must've been hard on her…"

"My mother gave as good as she got. Ain't no way she let him get away with the crap he pulled."

Grace dealt the next hand. Jake kept an eye on her the entire time they played. His eyes focused on her face. He watched her eyes hood over as she looked down, the smoky (if smudged) makeup making her eyes appear darker. She kept drinking, though sipping it now. But it was still affecting her, as Jake noticed her body language visibly relax. She lounged in her seat, displaying the soft curves of her coils for him to see. His gaze was drawn to her throat, where he could see a small beat against her scales from a vein underneath. It was the rhythm of her heart, and for some reason he couldn't tear his eyes away.

But she must have noticed his look, for she shifted, and he watched her pulse pick up slightly. It turned out to be her undoing. Jake's next hand beat hers as they lay them down on the table.

"Full house. You're losing your touch, I actually cracked you that time." He grinned. He thought back to his earlier question. He tilted his head as he asked, "What happened after he left?"

Grace groaned. "Oh god, we're back on this."

"What else could be on my mind?"

"I could think of a few things in that depraved skull of yours," her voice was husky but joking.

Jake smirked. "Tempting. But your deflecting."

Grace sighed but did as she was told. "I did what any girl in my position would do. I went for help. I went to lawyers, the sheriff, anyone I could. But my husband had every right to do with our property as he pleased. The fact that I was left behind is not any concern of the laws. So, penniless and having just discovered I was pregnant, I went back to my daddy."

"And he let you in? Just like that?"

"What else could he do? Don't get me wrong, he lectured me until late in the night, telling me over and over about 'I told you so'. But in the end, he gave me back my room, and he put a roof over my head. I changed my name back to Glossy and we acted as if the whole thing had never happened. We timed it perfectly actually. That was when my daddy got sick. He was never a healthy man, he'd had a bad cough for several years. But during the time I was there he simply wasted away. I became more or less his carer in his aging days."

"You don't speak as if you miss him," Jake commented with a cocked brow.

"I loved my daddy, but he knew it was his time. His death wasn't drawn out or dramatic. God simply called on him one night, and he went in his sleep. All before he could see me lay his grandchildren. In his will, he left the entire farm and its lands and everything in it, to me."

Jake was left to ponder all of this as they continued the game. He had to admit that he admired her father for taking in a wayward daughter. But still he was left wondering what he was missing. None of this was really surprising to him, just confirmation of what he'd already guessed. So what had she not told him? Or more importantly, what question had he not asked yet? That seemed to be it, except that Jake had the sneaking suspicion that this wasn't the end of the story.

"Another royal flush," Grace proclaimed as she laid down her cards. "You have any brothers or sisters?"

"No," he replied, smiling at her almost excited way of asking him. "My mother was gettin' on in years, the change was almost on her by the time she had me. Instead of a usual litter, she had only me."

They played on, once more that comforting quiet held between them. Once again Jake tried to find that trick, that pulse in her throat to let him read her. But the shape of her neck, and the form of her lips distracted him. When they laid down their cards, she won by miles.

"A straight flush this time." Her earlier childlike mood was gone. Instead, she looked quietly at the table, letting herself gather her thoughts before she looked up with a very serious expression. Jake mentally braced himself. "Tell me what happened,"

"How do you know somethin' happened?" he instinctively became defensive.

"I'm pretty good at spotting a tortured past. What's the saying? Takes one to know one."

"Why do you want to know?"

"Despite our differences, I think we're pretty good at confronting our demons together."

"Some demons should never be stirred."

"Come on Jake, trusssssst in me." She leaned forward and leered. He guarded gaze never wavered. Grace's play ended, and she looked at him imploringly. "You'll feel better if you get it out."

He could've lied. He could've made something up, done anything. But instead he felt the words being pulled out of him like a fish on a hook. "I was just a dumb kid, didn't really know what was what. One night, everythin' was normal, until my father walked through the door. I can still remember the stink on his breath, I could taste it across the room. He went straight for my mother, and hit her over and over. This wasn't unusual. Whenever this happened, I was always told to go and hide in the cupboard. But that night… that night he made me watch."

"Oh god…"

"He shouted at me, just a kid, scared the livin' crap outta me, had me thinkin' he'd come after me next if I didn't. He had me stand there and watch as he beat her, made me listen to her scream. And as I watched, all I could hear him say was 'you'll be a man someday, just like me'. And then, something inside me just snapped. All I could feel was hate, so much anger. I wanted to kill him then and there."

"But you didn't?"

"No. God showed how _merciful_ he is by gettin' in my way." Jake spat his disdain, his fangs aching at the need to unfold, his anger was so strong. "The locals came knockin', they'd heard the commotion. My father half attacked them, he was almost passin' out drunk at that point. They ran him outta town, chased him right out to the town border. But my mother, she was in bad shape. Couldn't even lift her head outta the pool of blood on the floor. Deputy Amos was on duty that night. He said she was in such a bad way there was no point in tryin'. He put a hole in her head." His voice became eerily quiet, his rattle shaking sharply before he could stop it. When he fought for better control of himself, he continued. "I ran off that night. No one stopped me. Next day was when the hawk got me."

Grace stared at him, her eyes wide, her jaw hanging open, her face pale. She was so shocked by everything she'd heard. She couldn't imagine such a horrifying ordeal. How on earth had a boy, even if it was Jake, survived such a thing? Damn her curiosity! She wanted to know more about how Jake could become as he was, and now she got her answer. It was now unsurprising to her how Jake could be so cold and bloodthirsty, if he'd been brought up in a house such as that. If someone had never known happiness before, how could they know what it was? She felt such guilt at having to make him relive that by telling her.

Her voice was barely more than a croak. "I… I…"

Jake cut her off as if he hadn't heard her. "I don't know what happened to my father after that. But if I ever find that son of a bitch alive, I'm gonna kill him. I'm gonna drown him in that alcohol he loved so much. Then I'm gonna light a match and stick it down his throat. I'll burn him up from the inside out. He ain't even deserving of the hell I crawled through…"

The last words were said barely above a whisper. Grace felt her mind trying to figure out what he meant. This couldn't be the end of his story. Something had happened that he hadn't told her. She dreaded to think of what other horrors he had endured, and she found such unimaginable sympathy for the rattlesake, it almost broke her heart. In the moment, she found that she couldn't hate him. No matter how much he annoyed her, she now knew too much to hate him. She didn't know if any of this was true, but her heart told her it was, and it longed to show him that not all the world was as cruel as he'd been brought up to believe.

"Jake, I… I'm so sorry… I never imagined that what you went through was so horrible. I didn't mean to push, I–"

"You asked." He snapped tightly. His eyes flashed to hers, suddenly blazing. "You feelin' sorry for me? You shouldn't. I got my payback."

Grace frowned in confusion. "But you said you didn't kill your–"

"Not on him," he murmured darkly. He held up his gun, clicking the revolving barrels around ominously as he spoke. "Dupty Amos moved outta town, to a backwater dump in the middle of the desert. I got my gun when I heard that little old Amos had been promoted to Sheriff of a nice little town called Dirt. He wasn't even the Sheriff for two days before I came for him. I stuck my fangs in him, but only with the tiniest drop of venom. And I watched him writhe and scream for hours."

Grace shivered at the mental image. She came around the table towards him, trying to show him her sincerity. "Still, I can't imagine what you've gone through. I just want–"

"Don't you pity me!" he barked furiously. He surged upwards, almost making her jump back, startled, as he loomed over her. "You can take it and shove it up your–"

"Jake." Grace's voice was firm but calm, even if her heart was pounding. "It's not pity…"

Jake's gun moved, and Grace's tail shot out to still him in a moment of panic. Her tail wound around his, and she tried to be soothing, to restrain him, to put out the fire that she had unintentionally set ablaze. He pushed his coils against and over her, holding himself high over her until she had to crane her head back to look up at him. But then she realised that he wasn't hissing, and his tail wasn't rattling.

Her eyes met his, and she was captivated by the light in them, suddenly reminding her of a warm fire on a cold night. His pupils had widened slightly, and he took the whole of her in, though his eyes never left hers. Grace suddenly realised how pressed against him she was; how close they were. Her breathing felt heavy, heat blossomed through her as she almost couldn't tear herself away.

A moment of eerie stillness hung over them, as if the house, the desert, even the world itself were holding its breath to see what happened next. It seemed to go on forever, and Grace didn't know what would happen as she kept glancing at the space between their faces.

She couldn't take it, and quickly releasing herself from him, she quickly removed herself from his touch. She didn't say a word to him as she slithered out of the room, not looking back once, even with her heart furiously racing in her throat.


	18. You Pathetic Fraud

**Author's Note - sorry for the long wait again. But this was 2 chapters in 1, so I hope I am forgiven!**

 **MMM: I hope that all of your questions are answered in this chapter!**

 **Guest: Yes indeed, I like chapters like that - that either enhance the characters or their relationships. They're fun to write.**

 **Guest: here is your new chapter!**

 **emilybrewbrew: I'm glad you like it so much! hopefully this chapter will satisfy your ferocious hunger ;)**

 **Diana: thank you! :)**

* * *

You Pathetic Fraud

 _"They tried to warn me_

 _They said that you were ornery_

 _So don't bring me those big brown eyes_

 _and tell me that you're sorry…" The Band Perry – 'You Lie'_

* * *

Dufayel drummed his claws along the polished wood of his desk, staring at the map in front of him intently. He hummed to himself thoughtfully as he took a swig of his drink of brandy. He'd always considered himself to be an immaculate and symmetrical man, with everything in its proper place and all even and the same. So it really bothered him when he saw two spots on the map that were not coloured in under his banner. And it seemed that no matter what he tried, the stains refused to co-operate with him.

Well, perhaps it was now time to take it to the next level.

"Why not go after the lizard woman, _amigo_?" Ramirez asked. He was polishing one of his trophies from his belt. Dufayel hid a disgusted curled lip at the sight of the crude bone.

He straightened his tie before answering, "Mademoiselle Beans will be dealt with. She's harder to figure out, but I doubt she'll be much of an issue once we know what makes her tick. Madam Grace, is the opposite. So many weaknesses, yet she still defies me. She must be dealt with."

"I could do that," Henry murmured. He was coiled up in the corner of the room, but when he spoke he peaked up from under his white hat to smile slyly.

"I have a better idea." Dufayel snapped his fingers, and Tomson the rat came in. "Bring them in."

Tomson nodded and quickly ran back out of the room. He returned a second later followed by four unsavoury characters that Dufayel had had to become familiar with. In the lead was a tall Gila Monster, with a white shirt and short black hat and a cigar poking out of the side of his mouth. Following close behind was a Mexican mole, a pot-bellied bunny and a hunchbacked jack rabbit.

"Good morning, _Monsieurs_ ," Dufayel said over his laced fingers.

"We heard something about a job?" was the impatient reply of the Gila Monster, with a British accent. London-ish, Dufayel believed, at the very least it was common cockney.

"Indeed," the fox murmured, slightly irritated that his guests appeared to have no manners. "You are Bad Bill, _oui_? You worked for Tortoise John?"

"Yeah, what is this?" Bill asked as narrowed his beady eyes at the businessman in front of him.

"I have a proposition for you." He stood and showed them the map, pointing to one of the clean spots that had so irked him earlier. "A snake owns this land. I need to buy it from her. You must make it clear to her, in no uncertain terms, that she needs to sell. You understand?"

"And what do we get for this?" Bill asked.

Dufayel flicked out a nugget of gold and let it land on the desk with a 'thud'. Bill's eyes widened as he looked at the precious metal in front of him. Dufayel smiled to himself – he was always right. Tortoise John hadn't kept the company of completely uneducated fools.

"Work for me, and there's plenty more where that came from," he murmured.

Bill grinned and nodded. "Alright."

"Remember Monsieur Bill: do not kill her. I need her alive to sign the deed, at least." He sat back down, but his gold eyes found Bill's with a slight smirk. "But anything else? Fair game."

Bill's grin grew wider.

"Tomson." Dufayel snapped and the rat stood to attention as he came forward. "Go with them. Oversee things and make sure it all goes well."

"We don't need no–"

"A condition, to investigate your integrity, Monsieur, you understand." Dufayel waved them away dismissively.

Bill looked a little angry, and Tomson seemed nervous, but the balding rat followed the others out of the room. Once the door closed behind them, Dufayel took another swig of his brandy. He was vaguely aware of Henry staring at him with those clear blue eyes.

"I don't see why we're still hangin' about," he muttered impatiently.

"Our previous attempts have failed; the rattlesnake poses a problem. So we will work around it."

"No ya don't. Let me at him!" Henry said a little too eagerly for Dufayel's liking. "Let me get that sonofabitch! I can take him!"

"Your brother couldn't take him, Henry, what makes you think you can?"

"We had a deal–!"

"And I intend to keep it." Dufayel stood and went over to his decanter to refill his glass. He turned to raise his glass to Henry, a winning suave smile firmly in place. "Patience, _mon amie_. It isn't time yet for you to strike. But I promise you, that when I know that time has come… your belly will be full on _serpent à sonnette."_

Henry grumbled, his impatience still clear. But he held himself back, at least. For now.

* * *

It only a couple of days for Teddy to get over his fever, and he was adamant to make up for lost time. He'd always hated being ill, it left him with nothing to do. And his momma always made sure he stayed in bed until he was completely better, no matter what he said otherwise. But now, he was up and ready to face the world.

"Momma!" he called loudly as sprang into the kitchen. He found his mother rooting through on of the cupboards, but didn't wait for her to turn around as he spoke excitedly. "Momma, can I go into town please?"

Grace looked round at him, cocking a brow in confusion. "What? What for?"

"I wanna go and play with Priscilla and her friends. We was meant to meet up yesterday,"

"Alright–"

"Yes!" Teddy grinned and turned to race out –

"Ah!" His mother's tail landed quickly across his middle, preventing him from leaving and making him turn around to face her. "If you let me finish, I was going to say that you can come to town with me when I take you."

Teddy's face fell. "But… can't I go by myself?"

"No, you are not going to go all the way to town and back on your own – it's too dangerous."

"But I want to go now!"

"Teddy! I only have a few chores to do, and then I'll take you. Until then you're gonna have to learn to wait."

Teddy knew that tone. Once his mother used that tone, it meant that there was no way in hell she would commit to the opposite. He slumped dejectedly, and slithered out of the room. Sulkily, he went out the front and waited on the path outside the house as he waited for his mother. This was just his luck, he realised with a pout. Now he'd have to wait _forever_ until his mother's chores were done. He felt simmering frustration at this unfair situation, but put it aside.

With nothing better to do, he looked around until he found a few pebbled. Stacking them in a line, he then began to flick them away with the end of his tail. This was what he was reduced to, he thought indignantly. Playing marbles against himself. He sighed heavily.

A shadow fell over him, and with what had now become instinct Teddy flicked out his tongue before turning around. He didn't recognise the spoors in the air. A sixth sense, however, told him that something was wrong. He looked up to find five tall figures crowding round him. He curled up tighter at the sight of their ugly, dirty, visages.

A gila monster grinned toothily at him. "Oi, what 'ave we 'ere?"

The others chuckled and lunged.

Teddy screamed.

* * *

With a broom held in her tail, Grace made her way up the stairs to Jake's room. As she opened the door, she was immediately met with the room being rather dim. The drapes were pulled closed so that only a sliver of light made its way in. Jake was slouched against the far wall, cleaning his gun himself with his eyes closed. He opened them slowly to regard her.

"What do ya want, woman?" he asked.

"Out."

His eyes widened and he froze a moment. Then they narrowed in outrage. "What ya mean by that?!"

"Out," she said again, though this time brandished the broom so that he could see. "I've gotta clean up in here."

Was it her imagination, or did Jake seem to visibly relax? He gave her a derisive snort. "Leave it alone."

"Can't do that. I need to be sure this place is stayin' clean."

"Ya gave me this room, didn't ya? Leave me too it."

"Alright then. You clean it." She smirked as she threw him the broom. It clattered against one of his coils.

"What? Damnit woman, I ain't doin' nothin'. This is my room–"

"My house."

"Just get goin'!"

"Jake, if I have to hit you over the head with this broom to get it clean, I'll do it."

"I'd like to see ya try." He growled menacingly as he clicked his gun and pointed it at her.

But Grace wasn't unnerved in the slightest. In fact, she found this whole situation to be rather funny. And she couldn't help it, she chuckled. Jake didn't seem to know what to do with her laughing. He stared at her as if she'd grown a second head. And at his bewildered expression, she laughed harder.

They were interrupted when they heard a scream from outside. Both adults froze in place for a split second. But Grace had recognised that voice, and it took her a moment of heart-pounding terror to make her addled brain work again.

And then she was whirling around and racing down the stairs through the house. She could hear the heavier, slightly slower coils of Jake dragging across the floor behind her, but she paid it no attention. She left him in her dust as she burst out of the front door and came out onto the scene in her front yard. She froze in horror.

A rat, two rabbits, a mole and Gila Monster were surrounding her son. The rabbits held Teddy down whilst the lizard had pulled back his fist for another blow. Upon her big entrance, the group froze. But Grace's eyes were only for Teddy, as she saw him lying limp and barely keeping his eyes open, one eye swollen and his lip split and bleeding. There were other injuries marring the rest of his body.

Upon seeing the sight of her son, white, burning, hot rage rolled over Grace's body, overloading her mind until she could no longer comprehend the world around her. She forgot who she was, where she was and everyone else. All that mattered was the burning hate inside of her.

With a loud hiss she sprang at the group. The others stumbled away, leaving Teddy to flop almost lifelessly to the ground. Grace landed and immediately coiled around him protectively. She shielded him from view, puffing up her sides to create a wall of scales between the intruders and her boy. Her eyes were wild, her teeth bared as an unearthly sound spewed forth from her throat.

Bad Bill and his goons appeared unnerved, but the gila monster still gathered his wits about him.

"Oi, love," he grinned lecherously. "I got a message to you from–"

His words were cut short when he heard a familiar metallic rattle. The group looked past Grace and shrank back in horror as they saw the huge rattlesnake rearing up above them all. Jake only had to take one look at the situation around him to have guessed what had happened. The intensity of his own angry surprised even him. He rattled his tail again as he bared his fangs with a hiss that matched Grace's own.

"The Grim Reaper…" one of Bad Bill's boys stuttered.

The answering whisper of death came from Grace: "It's not him you should be afraid of…"

Grace lunged forward, so fast even Jake was taken completely off guard. He was even more astonished at the sheer ferocity with which she attacked. Though she had no fangs and venom, Grace used everything else to her complete advantage.

She sank her teeth into Bad Bill's arm and threw him into the two rabbits. Before the rat Tomson could react, her tail slashed him across the face. He spun in a complete 360 turn before dropping to the floor. Launching herself completely into the fray, Grace left Teddy unattended. She raised her coils up and slammed them down. Bad Bill only just managed to roll out of the way in time, and her blow landed on the rabbits instead. The mole yelled as he charged at her with a knife, but Grace smacked him aside with her tail.

Jake had never seen Grace this angry before. He hovered over the almost unconscious boy, even if his fiery gaze was mesmerised by the twirling snake in front of him. Grace didn't appear to be able to comprehend the world around her, otherwise she would never have left Teddy unprotected. What had gotten into her?

Grace lunged again towards Bill, ramming her head again and again into him with the force of a baseball bat. Bill was soon spitting blood. With another hiss, Grace whirled around and began to smack him around with her tail. She was putting all her strength into those strikes. Jake could've sworn that he could hear bones starting to crack.

"Momma…"

That little voice was enough to make Grace freeze.

And that was when Jake saw her eyes, and felt his whole perception of this little world crumble.

Neither of them had spotted Tomson groggily get to his knees and pull out his gun. But Jake heard the click of the safety, and instantly snapped out his tail until it hovered beside the rat's balding head. Tomson frozen and looked up at Jake, shaking as if he were about to soil himself.

Grace came back to her senses, and began to hyperventilate as everything came rushing back. She spotted Teddy lying on the ground, and raced towards him, ignoring the groaning bodies that she passed on her way. Carefully, with shaking coils, she picked Teddy up into her embrace. Without even a look in Jake's direction, she swept past him and took Teddy back into the house.

Jake turned his angry gaze onto Tomson, a hiss rolling out of his mouth. "Go tell yer boss the Reaper's comin' fer his soul!"

Tomson nodded weakly, before picking himself up and sprinting as fast as he could into the desert. Jake watched him leave.

He heard groaning as he saw what was left of Bad Bill and his gang getting back up. Jake felt that surprising amount of anger flush through him at the thought of what they'd done. He knew what tactics they used: hurt those the victim cared about to send a message. It wasn't that hard to figure out – why else beat up a defenceless kid?

And then he thought of what he'd seen in Grace's eyes. Rather, that certain look. It was the look of bloodlust, of anger, of yearning for that little bit of chaos and not caring about the consequences. It was that hardness that could only be instilled in few souls. It was a look that he'd thought to be lacking in Rango once, long ago, but had been proven wrong. It was a look he saw every time he looked in a mirror.

It was the killer in the eyes.

And Jake was furious about it.

He'd thought Grace was a goody-two-shoes, she'd practically been ramming the law down his throat the entire time he'd been here. And yet here she was, with the look of a murderer in her eyes. She'd lied to him, had built this whole façade to fool him. Absolute rage filled him at the very thought.

He needed to let it out, he was shaking with the force of it. He smashed the metal of his tail into Bill's face, _almost_ satisfied when he heard the bone of his nose crunch. But it wasn't enough. He slammed his coils into the others, he slapped his hard head into theirs, he hit them again and again with his gun. Who only let off when he knew they were barely alive as it was, their breaths more gargles of blood and air.

But still it wasn't enough. This anger still burned far too hotly.

He turned to look at the house, a dark shadow coming across his eyes. He stalked towards it, determined to hunt down Grace.

He found her when she was making her way from the kitchen back to the stairs to go to Teddy's bedroom. Bandages were held in her tail. Obviously she had already patched him up, but this was the extra mile. He knew her well enough to guess that. Or at least, he thought he did.

She didn't even know what was happening when his coils looped around her and threw her backwards. Grace shrieked and wriggled, but he held her firm. He slammed her into the wall of the hallway, pressing his weight against her in order to keep her pinned. Wildly she looked around until her eyes focused on him. For a brief moment she appeared extremely frightened of him as he loomed over her, lip quivering from his silent seething growl. Good.

"You damned liar!" he shouted at her, eyes blazing and pupils as thin as paper in his fury.

"J-Jake?" she stammered, terrified. "What are you–"

"I saw it!"

"Saw what?!"

"The look! I saw that killer in yer eyes – and don't ya dare call me a liar. If you do, I might just forget my sense and blow a hole through yer skull." To emphasis his words, he lifted his gun and rotated the barrels loudly.

"I'd rather not talk about this–"

"Too bad! We are!"

She shot him a defiant glare. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because ya lied to me! Ya played me for a good fool, didn't ya. But I'm gonna expose the fake that you are."

"It's none of your business–"

"It is my god-damned business!" He pointed his gun at her head, and she froze. He leaned in closer to her so that all she could see were his blazing eyes. "Now you best tell me the truth. I _hate_ liars, so choose yer words carefully or I'm gonna be sendin' yer soul to Hell for this."

She was visibly shaking. Jake didn't know if he liked to see her so scared of him or not. But he pushed that thought aside and more focused on his anger at being lied to. She opened her mouth to speak, but no sound came out. She closed it and tried again. A building panic entered her eyes, so Jake prompted her.

"You've killed before, haven't you." It was a statement, not a question.

She screwed her eyes shut as she whispered, "Yes…"

"When?"

"Years ago… after my father died… after I laid my eggs…"

"Eggs?"

"I-I laid… ten."

"So you lied about that too."

Her eyes snapped open to dare to look at him imploringly. "I didn't mean–"

"What happened?"

She paused before answering. "Outlaws."

Jake paused. He narrowed his eyes on her, not sure why he felt a certain pinch in his chest.

"They broke onto my property. They tried to rob my home." Her eyes were no longer focused on him as she looked off angrily into the distance. But then her expression fell, and one of the utmost horror and grief replaced it. "But they… they found my nest. The bastards they… they… they sma–"

She couldn't finish the words as a sob burst from her throat. She heaved back in a breath, shaking again from the force of trying to keep her emotions inside. Deep, fast breaths were the only way to calm her. It was as if she'd been keeping all of this inside for the past ten years, and only now let it loose.

"Teddy's egg was the only one left." Her face grew angry again, and Jake saw the ghost of that killer look once more. "When I found out what'd happened I… I just got so angry, so upset."

"What happened?" he asked.

"I don't remember."

He hissed, "Liar!"

"Honestly! I don't!" she pleaded. "I just… I got so angry, I blacked out. But when I came too, their… _bodies_ … were unrecognisable."

Jake backed off a little. So finally the pieces of the puzzle had all been made clear. He watched her carefully, looking out for the shame, the regret. Her grief was very real, and damn him he almost felt sorry for her to know that she'd seen nine of her children murdered before they'd even been born. When she spoke, her voice was hoarse.

"So I covered it up. I buried the bodies, kept the secret, and cleaned up the mess. I kept it quiet. Thought I'd done the whole world a favour – who would miss baby killers? They'd be hung anyway by the law. And I promised myself I wouldn't do it again." She then fixed her eyes on his. "So now you know. This is why I can't stand outlaws."

That little pinch he'd felt earlier in his chest, now felt like someone had impaled him. He didn't want to admit that such words stung him. And he honestly didn't know why they did. He was almost certain that her words felt like they were half directed at him. Was that true? Did she still honestly see him as no better than those kid-killing thugs?

He glared at her. Pushing away from her, he let her drop to the ground. She heaved in a breath as she curled up.

"You pathetic, hypocritical, fraud," he hissed, the insult was the only way he knew how to deal with the pain that was throbbing in his stomach. "Yer no better than the one's ya try to hate."

He snorted at her disgustedly as he made his way towards the door.

"Jake?" she called after him weakly. "Where are you going?"

"Away from you."

He slammed the door behind him as he left.

* * *

It was late in the night when Tomson found his way back to his master's base, and reported on what had happened. Needless to say that the French fox was not best pleased.

He tried to keep his anger in. Truly he did. But eventually, it was too tempting. So he drew out his gun and shot Tomson through the head.

The body fell to the floor. Dufayel snatched up his glass of brandy and downed the whole thing. He rubbed his temples, praying for a bit of relief. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on his side.

"What did I tell you!" Henry snapped angrily. "This is what happens when you don't listen to me."

" _Silencieux,"_ Dufayel snapped, but then took a deep breath to calm himself and stop the pounding inside his skull. "You wouldn't have fared any better."

The kingsnake hissed. "Don't test me, fruitcake. I'm gonna skin that rattlesnake, whether ya like it or not."

"You will do no such thing – you could compromise the entire plan."

"Me getting' rid of Jake?"

"No, _stupide,_ " the fox growled. "You will when you fail–"

Henry's tail whipped to his belt as he drew out his silver revolver. "Insult me again, prissy-pants, and I'll make a fur coat outta you."

There was a click as Ramirez stepped out of the shadows, gun pointed at Henry's right eye. "I wouldn't do that if I were you, _amigo_."

There was a tense moment of stillness.

"Enough." Dufayel waved them down eventually. Ramirez hesitated, before he lowered his gun at his boss's command. Dufayel turned a tired smile to the younger accomplice. "Of course, Henry, you are right. I must learn to not be so foolhardy."

Henry looked between the pair, and lowered his gun. Dufayel nodded.

Ramirez suddenly blasted off a shot, the bullet puncturing through the Kingsnake's side. Henry howled and contorted in pain. He snapped himself round with blazing eyes on his former allies. He launched himself with frightening speed at the coyote, but Ramirez was adept at this and slid underneath his chin. As he passed under, he whipped out a knife and slashed underneath Henry's chin.

The serpent recoiled, and Ramirez rolled back and sprang back up. He jumped at Henry, slamming his feet into the kingsnake's chest and sending him flying back into the window behind him. The glass cracked but didn't shatter. Ramirez punched Henry across the snout, letting the blades in his gloves slash open his scales.

" _Adios amigo_ ," the coyote grinned over the dazed snake.

He leapt back as Dufayel withdrew his gun and fired the shot. The glass shattered. Henry fell through the window with a cry that was cut short a moment later. Ramirez grinned at Dufayel, who turned away with a shake of his head, throwing his pistol onto his desk uninterestedly.

"I get his cut, _si?_ " Ramirez asked.

Dufayel didn't turn to face him as he answered. "Do your job, and yes, you will."

But though the fox and coyote had thought they'd killed the fearsome kingsnake, on the ground far below, he was very much alive. Though bruised, battered, bleeding, and impaled by many shards of glass. But still, Henry refused to accept death, hatred and a burning need for vengeance driving him on. So, badly wounded, he crawled away as inconspicuously as he could, vowing that he would be back to fight another day.


	19. Forbidden Fruit

**Author's Note: The song for this chapter "Waterproof Mascara" was actually hard to pick out certain lyrics, simply because this song is so perfect for Grace. Just like "Strong One". It sums her up in a nutshell. But anyway, thank you all for the massively awesome feedback, I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much!**

 **Guest: here is the next chapter!**

 **emilyb: I'm so glad to see this is your fav! :D But I can only update as fast as my fingers can type! Darn you Darwin!**

 **MMM: Yeah, Teddy took a beating, and we'll see the consequences of that in this chapter. Henry will come back eventually, but not just yet. Same goes for Benjamin. I want to give them the proper dramatic entrance. ;) As for a kiss... wait and see.**

 **Guest: Here's your ipdate!**

* * *

Forbidden Fruit

 _"_ _Letting my guard down is just so hard to do_

 _Never introduced my son to someone new_

 _'Cuz if I get my heart broke, I know he will too…" Sheryl Crow 'Waterproof Mascara'_

* * *

The next day, Grace was desperate to get to town to take Teddy to see the Doc. It worried her that it hurt Teddy to move too much, but she couldn't leave him to go and bring the Doc to their farm. She didn't dare to leave him alone and unprotected for any length of time, fretting over him constantly as if he were about to fall over dead at any second. Teddy himself didn't mind it, he understood that his momma was really worried about him. Last night she'd slept in his room, with him tucked up in her coils. He felt good and safe there, he couldn't remember the last time she'd done that since he was a baby.

But it still hurt. He wanted to curse, but knew his mother wouldn't like it. Even if it was only in his mind.

Slithering and wriggled his body was okay, actually the heat of the desert sand was rather pleasant on his aching body. But his muscles were aching and his split lip was sore. With one eyes completely closed over due to swelling, his already hindered vision made him almost blind. He used his tongue to navigate, like Jake taught him to do, but every time his tongue flickered out, it grazed against the cut in his lip and it stung.

His Momma was there to help whenever she could. She slithered right next to him, offering him shade, and even offered to carry him. But he didn't want the people in town to see him being treated like a baby, so he refused.

Though yesterday he'd been overeager to go into town, now Teddy kept his head low so as to avoid people's eyes. What would they think of him in the state he was in? He followed his Momma as she led him round the back of the doctor's clinic and they waited in the yard. Teddy could've gone inside, but his Momma was too big. He wanted to stay with her.

Eventually the funny looking rabbit with only one ear stumbled out to them. He took one look at Teddy and his face crunched in concern. The boy ducked his head, embarrassed.

"What happened here?" he asked with a slight hiccup, pocketing a bottle into his waistband.

Teddy saw the ghost of anger sweep across his mother's eyes. "Bad Bill and his boys."

The Doctor's eyes widened. He rubbed the back of his neck as he grimaced. "Ah, sweet Lord. I'm sorry, Miss Grace."

"Please, Doc, help him."

"You got it. Come on over here, son, let me get a look at ya."

Teddy slowly slithered up to the Doctor. He kept still, even if he wanted to cringe away from the mammal's grubby fingers. The Doctor looked at his black eyes first, prodding around the bruising until Teddy winced. He then looked into the other eyes, holding the eyelids apart. With delicate paws, the rabbit then felt along Teddy's body, kneading it as he checked for broken bones. Lastly, he listened to Teddy's breathing with his one ear pressed against his throat. As he stood up, he held Teddy's jaw as he inspected his lip. His thumb brushed the cut.

"Ow."

The Doctor hummed thoughtfully.

"Well? Is he alright?" Grace asked, fidgeting anxiously.

"No broken bones or fractures as far as I can tell. Just a hell'ova lot of bruisin'," the Doctor told her. He looked at Teddy with a smirk. "Yer lucky, boy. Must be made of stern stuff."

Grace let out a sigh, her body sagging as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

He handed Grace a small bottle of pills. "Take these. Should help with the pain. Keep an eye on him. I don't think he's got a concussion, but if he has any dizzy spells or faints, you bring him on back to me."

"I will. Thank you, Doc," Grace said sincerely as she gathered Teddy to her side and left the yard.

Out in the main street, Teddy noticed his Momma sigh, taking a moment to catch her breath after everything they'd gone through the past two days. For some reason, Teddy wished Jake was there to tell him what to do. He bet the big snake would tell him of all the fights and bruises he used to get. It would've made him feel better. Come to think of it, he wondered where the rattler was. He'd heard Jake and his Momma arguing last night, he didn't hear the words exactly, but just their raised voices. Come the morning, Jake was nowhere to be found and his Momma was quite quiet. He wondered what had happened. Maybe the Sheriff had called him away to do some other job. He hoped he'd be back soon.

Speak of the devil (as his Momma would say) ...

A little further up the street, people literally ducked and jumped out of the way of the enormous pit viper that stormed through their midst. Jake's eyes were narrowed, his hat tilted to cast a deeper shadow over his face, his rattle made constant agitated noise. He looked angrier then Teddy had ever seen him. But the boy's face instantly brightened and seeing his idol and friend.

"Hey, Momma, there's Jake," he said to her excitedly.

He looked up as his mother directed her attention to where he'd pointed. But instead of smiling or giving some witty remark like he thought she would, he saw indecision. She looked like she wanted to go over to the angry rattlesnake, but was afraid to. Her coils tensed up, and her eyes shifted desperately.

Teddy pursed his lips. He didn't know why his Momma and Jake weren't friends right now, but he wanted Jake to come back to the farm. They had to talk. One of them had to say sorry. But whilst she was looking after him, she wouldn't leave him for anything.

And then, the answer to his prayers seemed to materialise in the opposite direction. Pricilla. As soon as she spotted him, the little catcus's mouse's big golden eyes brightened and she made her way towards him.

"Momma," he said quickly. "Can I go and play with Pricilla?"

"What?" she asked, looking down at him. She was distracted as Jake's rattle echoed loudly across town as he stopped in front of the Sheriff's office. She glanced back at where Pricilla was waiting in the middle of the street, under the watchful eye of several adults. "Alright… I suppose you–"

"Thanks!" Teddy didn't let her get another word out as he raced towards Pricilla as fast as his aching body would allow. He didn't even slow until he was almost beside his mousy friend. He glanced over his shoulder, and saw his mother just starting to slowly make her way in Jake's direction. He grinned.

"Hey, what happened to you?" Pricilla asked straight away.

"Oh, hi Pricilla," Teddy said shyly, ducking his head to try and hide his bruised eye.

"What's that on yer face?"

"Oh, this?" he indicated his face. "Momma said it was Bad Bill and he–"

The mouse's eyes grew wide as she leaned forward eagerly. "You fought Bad Bill?"

"Well, not exac–"

"Did you bite him? Did you squeeze him? Are you venomous? Did he cut you? Shoot you?"

"What? No! He and his boys just… you know… roughed me up a bit."

"Did you die?" she asked ominously.

"No. Well, I did fall unconscious, but that was only briefly."

"Did you see a light? Did you brush with death?"

Teddy was starting to wonder if his friend was slightly disturbed.

And just like that, the conversation was forgotten as Pricilla turned her attention to something else so quick, it almost gave Teddy whiplash. She gestured to his mother approaching Jake now outside the town hall. "Rattlesnake Jake's been livin' up on yer farm, hasn't he?"

"Yeah,"

"He and yer momma gonna get married?"

Teddy blinked and looked at her, startled. "What? Why would you say that?"

"Well, they spend a lot of time together, they live together, they can hate each other, and they're man and woman. My Poppa says that's basically marriage anyway." She shrugged. "So is it true? Yer momma gonna be the Reaper's bride?"

Teddy opened his mouth to retort, but something stilled him. An idea burst in his mind, sparked by his friend's almost careless words. He looked over to his momma and Jake. There was no doubt about it: he liked Jake, and he thought his momma _could_ like Jake, at times. And he'd never had a daddy before… could his momma marry Jake? Well, they'd need to be given the idea. And they'd need to kiss. Teddy knew from all the story books that people who got married needed to kiss.

He beamed, excitement sparking through his battered coils as brilliant plans began to unfold in his mind on how he would _make_ this happen…

* * *

Grace's mouth felt as dry as her desert home as she made her way slowly towards Jake. He didn't seem to have noticed her… or he was ignoring her. She didn't know which she preferred.

Ever since their argument the previous evening, she couldn't stop replaying their argument over in her mind. It had kept her up all night, and stirred emotions in her that she didn't think she could feel. Jake had looked like he'd felt betrayed by her cover-up. The words he'd used, the venomous anger, the way he'd looked at her… it was like she'd slapped him round the face repeatedly. It honestly made her feel ever so slightly guilty. But why should she feel guilty? It had been her secret to keep, one she'd sworn she'd take to her grave, just as she was sure he still kept secrets from her. And then she couldn't help but think of the way he'd handled her. So rough and nasty, whereas before he'd showed his dominance, but whilst also being gentle. For the first time since they'd met, Grace had felt scared of him.

She didn't know what to do. Apologise? Demand what his problem was? What could she do? He'd made it clear that he didn't want anything more to do with her. Before, she would've been ecstatic to see him leave. Yet now she didn't want things to end this way between them. Not to mention the fact that… it'd been nice to have someone to talk to. Even if they didn't always get along.

In that moment, she resolved to herself that if she couldn't bring him back to the farm, then she'd at least clear the air between them. Hopefully.

As she approached Jake where he was talking to the Sheriff, he stiffened. Despite having his back to her, he must've noticed her somehow. He immediately dropped his conversation with the lizard, and turned and stormed off towards the townhall. Having just noticed her, Rango grinned.

"Hey, Miss Grace!" he waved to her energetically.

"Morning Sheriff Rango," Grace nodded in his direction but went straight after the rattlesnake.

"Jake, wait!" she called to him just as he was on the threshold of the door.

He froze. His shadow loomed in the doorway ominously. He didn't turn to face her, instead he kept his back to her. His rattle had stopped making its constant chatter, but she could see that every muscle in his body was tensed with barely held in aggression. Grace gulped quietly to herself.

"Jake, I need to talk to you," she said quietly.

His head tilted in her direction ever so slightly. "Didn't I make myself clear, woman? We're done."

"No, listen." She inched closer. "I know you think I lied to you–"

"I don't _think_ nothing, I _know_. Now if one more damned lie comes out've that mouth of yers, I'm gonna–"

"Jake, I am not gonna get into a shouting match with you in the middle of the damned street."

"Too much of a scandal for ya? Miss do-gooder?" He slowly turned and fixed her with a fierce glare. "Let's not have the whole town know yer just as bad as they think you are."

"That's not–"

"Let's keep things simple from now on. You don't want me on yer damned farm, I sure as hell don't wanna be caught in yer mess."

Grace growled in frustration. "Good God, would you just shut up and listen for one second?!"

"For what?"

"I'm sorry!"

Jake paused. He blinked dumbly at her, as if he'd misheard. "…what?"

"I'm… I'm sorry," she murmured as she looked away. "I never lied to you, but I'm sorry for making you think that I lied. It wasn't my intention to hurt you like that."

"It ain't the lies, woman," he told her. He moved closer, until his face was within inches of hers, but his eyes were still hard with anger. "It's how you seem to think yer better then everyone around ya because you want to follow the law."

"All my life, my daddy taught me to be a good citizen–"

"That backfired on him."

"Yes, I'll admit it. Okay? That what you wanna hear? I'm no better then you. I killed those men. I didn't give them a proper burial, and I'm sure that I made them suffer. But I thought I'd done the world a favour. And once it was over, I wanted to be a better person."

"Instead of owning up to who you are?"

"Jake, please understand, I didn't want to be that kind of snake."

His glare turned into a full scowl. "A snake like me?"

Ah. So there was the bottom of the mystery. Grace felt the realisation hit her like a ton of bricks. He thought she associated him with the kind of senseless thugs that she hated. For some reason, she felt the guilt swell within her as she realised how he must've interpreted everything she'd said.

"No, Jake," she said softly. "You're not that kind of snake."

He snorted. "I didn't think you was forgetful as well as dumb."

"That's what I think, Jake. Despite the fact that you are an outlaw and you're paid to sometimes do unspeakable things, you still have a sense of honour. You've been good to those who are good to you. Like me and Teddy. I don't like saying this, and I'll never say it again, but we wouldn't be anywhere right now without you. And I'm grateful for that. Don't ever doubt that."

There was silence for a long and awkward moment. But Grace didn't regret her words. They were the truth, and she wouldn't apologise for it. And she was glad that it paid off when she saw the hostility in Jake's eyes slowly ease out of him bit by bit. He leaned back away from her with a tired sigh.

Finally, he looked at her. "Still don't change the fact that I'm an outlaw. I'm everything you say you despise."

"I don't despise you. I know you too well for that."

"You don't know me at all."

"Maybe," she mumbled with a shrug. "But I'd like to think I do. It's nice to know someone who's not perfect, and doesn't pretend to be."

The corners of Jake's lips twitched upwards in an ever-so-slight smirk. "Is that some crappy way of tryin' to butter me up?"

"Nah. If I was _trying_ , you'd already be butter."

He cocked a brow. "You think so?"

She chuckled. Finally things seemed settled. She turned away, even as something in her stomach wanted to root her to the spot.

"Anyway, I just thought I'd say I'm sorry. For everything." She gave him a genuine smile, and wrapped the end of her tail around his rattle. She held it for a moment, before letting him go and turning away. "See ya around, Jake."

"See ya around?" his voice called her back, forcing her to turn and look at him. "What the hell's that supposed to mean?"

"I thought–"

"I don't ever back down on a contract. I'm like the devil that way. I still have a job to do up on that farm."

She smiled. _Really_ smiled.

* * *

Later that afternoon, as the sunset just started, the three snakes made their way back to the farm finally. When Teddy saw Jake, he'd been overjoyed, much to Grace's amusement. Jake had darkened slightly when he'd seen the result of Bad Bill's abuse, but remarkably deflected it when he made a note to Teddy about 'battlescars'. Grace would rather he didn't encourage her son to enjoy violence, but seeing as it was only one comment, she let it slide.

It felt good to have things back to normal – somewhat. The threats were still out there to get them, but Grace felt a little better. For some reason it felt good to have the rattler home. Not that her house was his home, or that she wanted him to consider it his home, but… he… well… argh! It was too confusing on her tired mind.

Teddy, however, provided a distraction.

"Why do people get married?" he asked out of the blue.

Both adults almost froze mid-step. They were within sight of the property, but that didn't bother them. They looked down to the child in their midst, then at each other. It was quite clear that neither was comfortable with this topic.

"Well, Teddy," Grace began slowly. "When two people love each other, or if they just want to, then they get married. So that they can start a family."

"You ever been married, Mr Jake?" Teddy asked without missing a beat.

"Nope," came Jake's fast reply. "Never have done and never will do."

Teddy's eyes grew wide as if the very idea was horrifying. "You don't wanna get married? To anyone?"

"Marriage ain't needed, it's just a waste of time for both individuals."

"Unless you want to," Grace countered, though it was more directed at Jake then Teddy. "Some people think that marriage is a wonderful thing."

"No it ain't. All it does is tie two people together and make a mess of everything. If two people like each other then why not just get it out, have their fun and be done with it."

She glared at him for his almost dirty talk in front of her son. When the rattler just smirked, she rolled her eyes. "Oh, because that is _so_ romantic."

"It didn't say it was. Romance has nothing to do with anything."

"What's romance?" Teddy asked.

"Love, sweetheart." Grace smiled at her son, before throwing a look at Jake. "And it is so much more then what Jake is saying."

He scoffed. "Please. You've been in this 'love' thing, and it didn't work out. Instead of hurtin' yerself, it should all be about fulfillin' yer body's needs. A transaction. Both parties win. Nothing else."

"Yes I loved, and it didn't work out. Though I regret the person I loved, I don't regret actually _loving_. That feel, that complete surrender to another person is so rewarding. You're connected, you're walking on air. An attachment like that just makes everything all the sweeter."

"I've had plenty of sweetness with how I do things. I'm just fine."

A sly look entered her eyes, a hint of a smile at her lips. "In that case, you've never had something that was _yours_."

He frowned. "What do'ya mean?"

"Well, with the female company you keep, if it's just a transaction, then a few others can do the same thing." Her voice dropped as she passed in front of him, looking over her shoulder at him with hooded eyes. "With something like romance, a relationship, you get something all to yourself, something completely… _exclusive_."

Jake felt his body grow stiff at her words. He paused. Was it just him, or was she flirting with him? Was it just banter? Even if it wasn't, he felt a slight exhilarating fire spread throughout his lower belly as he thought of the implications. Something all to himself? A little prize that no one else could touch? A bit of candy that was all his? He could definitely see the perks. He didn't quite agree with her fully, but as he watched her slither up to the house, eyes on her coils, he couldn't help but imagine what she described…

"Momma, would you ever remarry?" Teddy asked Grace as they came to the front porch.

"Only if I found the right man," she chuckled. She cocked a brow at the boy. "Why all the sudden questions?"

"No reason," he shrugged. Jake wasn't buying it. Teddy looked into the house and then back to his mother. "I'm hungry,"

"There should be some leftovers for us to have. Go on in and pick yourself something out."

Without another word, he went straight in through the front door. A second later, a light from an oil lamp bloomed through one of the windows. Grace had a moment to breathe, and Jake joined her on the porch. Unbeknownst to both of them, a certain child-snake was peeking at the edge of the curtains with his good eye.

"You are full of surprises," Jake said with a shake of his head.

Grace smirked. "Am I?"

"I would've thought that after everything you've been through you would've stayed clear of things like romance forever."

"Like I said, I regret Benjamin, but I don't regret knowing what love is."

"So you've never played it casual? Ever? No flings? Still Miss goody-goody?"

She looked down and cleared her throat, a blush appearing under her scales. "Well, my only, uh, partner had been Benjamin."

"No one else?" Jake pressed, for some reason that detail seemed important.

"No," she said, losing her nervousness as she looked back up into his eyes almost brazenly. "I like to think of it as when I do get a new partner, he can have me all to himself…"

The slight tug on her lips indicated she was playing, but Jake felt that fire grow steadily hotter until it was burning all through his veins. He couldn't help it. The image she was provoking in his mind with her words, her closeness, her lovely face, her hushed voice… it was driving his instincts insane. He'd thought about it before, about having his way with her. But it had been more of a passing thought, a tease both to her and himself. A joke.

But right here, right now, he knew without a doubt that he very much wanted this snake in and under his coils.

Her glittering brown eyes were drawing him in, her parting lips inviting him closer. He loomed over her, puffing his body out as much as he could. Slowly, he leaned closer, the need, the _want_ inside of him too much of a temptation. He just wanted to give in to it. A subtle hiss escaped him, his tail shivered with excitement.

He could hear her heartbeat pounding, see her looking from his eyes to his lips, watch her lashes hood over her eyes. For a moment, it seemed like she was as caught in the moment as he was.

But then she backed away from him. She cleared her throat loudly, the awkward sound breaking whatever spell had fallen on both of them. Jake immediately straightened, not quite sure what had come over him, but some part of him felt frustrated that it hadn't gone as far as he'd wanted. He glanced at Grace as she ducked towards the door. She nodded to him with a soft and gentle smile.

For some reason, that smile made the fire simmer. Instead of getting angry, he felt… satisfied. For now. He nodded back to her, and watched her slip away inside the house.

* * *

 **Please review!**


	20. The Lawman

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 **Lilax: I am out-of-my-mind pleased to see that you're enjoying this fic so much! I'm glad that you like the character interactions and that you like the more... ahem... intimate scenes ;) haha! I hope you continue to enjoy the story as we go on.**

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 **gogo: Love you! Thanks for your review!**

 **Guest: Hahahaha! I find it hilarious that you call me out on that one thing! XD In all fairness when I think of a snake-shrug, I think of Kaa in Disney's 1960's Jungle Book. :P**

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* * *

The Lawman

 _'_ _You better have soul_

 _Nothin' less_

 _Cause when it's business time_

 _It's life or death' – Curtis Stigers & the Forest Rangers "This Life"_

* * *

Grace got up early as she always did, and as she always did, she hated it. She left Teddy in bed. Considering all he'd been through in the last week, she wanted him to have as much rest as possible. It was actually nice that she'd had _somewhat_ of a lay in today.

But as she made her usual cup of coffee, something occurred to her that woke up her mind a little faster. She downed the rest of her own mug, letting the caffeine give her the buzz she needed, before she crept back up the stairs. She peaked into the guest room, but was confused to find it empty. A look out the window, and she spotted him.

With the water left over in the kettle, she made a second cup of coffee. She didn't know exactly why she was doing this, just an urge. And for some reason, she couldn't think of a valid excuse not to. With the coffee made, she carefully carried it outside.

She found him in the barn. The doors were wide open, and she saw his large hunch over back as he dug his way through all of the stuff in the barn. Grace didn't know what he was up to, but the thought of him rooting around inside her barn just put a smile of amusement on her face for some reason.

Leaning against the doorframe, she finally decided to speak up. "If the bed's that uncomfortable, you should've said something"

He looked around, pupils thinning with surprise, and she watched every muscle tense, his tail twitch, wanting to attack. But as soon as his eyes found her, she watched him force his body to calm. "What?" Jake asked.

"Nothin'." She shook her head. Before she could think better of it, she held up the cup of coffee to him. "I thought I'd bring ya this."

He frowned at the coffee, then at her. "What fer?"

"Teddy's still sleeping. I thought I'd let him sleep in. Get his rest, you know… after what happened."

Jake didn't say anything at first. He just watched her. He didn't want her to linger on those dark thoughts. And besides, he could smell how good the coffee was. He took it from her and tasted a sip. Bitter. Just how he liked it.

Realising he'd been silent too long, he decided to deflect that darker edge with sarcasm. "So I'm yer second choice? Ya got nobody better to talk to so you thought you'd come on down here?"

She played along, blinking her eyes in an overly-innocent and outraged fashion. "Is it that obvious?"

He chuckled, a deep rumbling sound that he didn't make very often. For a moment he marvelled at how this woman could make his guts go on fire with desire, and then at other times make him feel so at ease that he was laughing and joking with her? How in the name of hell did that happen?

A distraction was needed. So he glanced around at the various stacks of bits and pieces around the barn. "Ya got some junk in here, can't barely move a thing without it spillin' out."

"I know," she groaned and moved a little closer to him as she came further into the barn. "My daddy was a hoarder. I guess I picked up the habbit."

"You don't wanna throw any of this away?"

"No! You never know what you might need in the future. Out here we learn to make the best of what we got. Nothing goes to waste."

He thought on that for a moment. "You always livin' the hard life?"

"As hard as anybody else." She shrugged, deflecting. He knew she struggled sometimes for money, but the confirmation (though in not so many words) unsettled him a little. Her eyes distracted him when she looked up at him. "What about you?"

He didn't want to incite another disagreement between them, so just said: "Let's just say you grow yer money right here. I gotta go out and catch mine."

"Ah," she nodded her understanding. "Bet you've seen some things in your time, eh?"

"You could say that,"

Her smile became wistful, dreamy. "One thing I envy you for… I'd love to have gone out into the world, seen the lights. I've never even seen the human road. I hear it's beautiful."

"Don't hold your breath," Jake snorted.

"I almost went and did it you know. Give up all this and move out on the trail"

"Really?"

"Oh yeah," she chuckled, then ducked her head as if embarrassed. "When I was a young girl, I wanted to spite my daddy and become a traveller. Go from place to place, doing what I wanted, living the dream."

Jake couldn't help but grin with amusement. "Imagine that, Goodie-Gracie got herself a naughty streak."

"'Goodie-Gracie'?" She quirked a brow at him. "Careful, Jake, someone might think you're going soft on me."

He leaned in, a leer spreading across his features. "I can get rough if yer like…"

"Oh, I'm so scared." She rolled her eyes then bumped him with her coils. "Don't worry, Jake, your secret's safe with me."

"I know that."

And surprisingly, he meant it. He didn't know what it was, maybe he was going soft, maybe he was delusional, maybe she was playing him. But all he knew was that she could keep a secret. Hell, he'd already told her more about himself then he'd likely told anyone. Apart from the more darker aspects of himself that would never be said, not to anyone on this earth. But he knew he could trust her. It had been a long time since he'd felt that.

Grace looked away, suddenly nervous as she began to leave. "Well, um, anyway, I thought I'd bring you the coffee."

"You don't have to run from me." The words came out more frustrated and snappish then he'd intended.

She stopped at the door to say back somewhat defensively, "I got work to do. I'm not running."

But they both knew it was a lie.

* * *

Rango leaned back on the bed, hands behind his head as propped his feet up high on the end. "Wow, I could get used to this," he sighed.

Beans gave him a look as she marched past with a stack of laundry. "And you got three seconds to get them there boots off my sheets before I shoot 'em off."

"Come on, Beans, we talked about this. No threats," he whined as he hastily put his feet down.

"You know I'm playin'." She chuckled as she put the last few clothes away.

Walking up in front of him, she leaned down and gently kissed him. Rango's eyes fluttered as he gave in to the sweet bliss of the kiss. Honestly, he didn't know how he was still affected like this every time she kissed him. All he knew was that he really enjoyed it. And following on that impulse, he stood and leaned into her, deepening the kiss.

They eventually parted for air, and Rango hummed appreciatively. "Hmm… did I say I could get used to this?"

"Ya did. More than once." She grinned and kissed him again. There was fire between them this time, a heat that left them both gasping. Beans pulled back, a pretty blush darkening her cheeks. "You not needed at the Office?"

Rango's mind was stuck in cobwebs as he leaned in for another taste of her. "I'm sure ol' Wounded Bird's got it covered."

 _KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK._

"Sheriff Rango!" they heard someone shriek.

Beans pulled back completely and fixed him with a sour look. "You were sayin'?"

He shrugged with a nervous smile.

They both filed down the stairs and made their way to the front door. Rango was still a little surprised at where Beans lived. He'd expected a rusted tin can with little space. What he found was a small human box converted into a two level house. It wasn't big, not at all. It only had enough room for two small bedrooms on the top floor, and a very small bathroom at the edge of a large kitchen area on the ground floor. But it was still a nice little abode.

Going up to the front door, Beans opened it almost violently. Spoons and Waffles squeaked in surprise. When they saw Beans they hurriedly took off their hats and gave her a quick bow to be polite. They then turned their attention to Rango behind her.

Seeing the frightened looks on their faces, Rango said, "Now what in the name of ol' Stanislavski's goin' on out here?"

Waffles frowned and leaned over to whisper in Spoons's ear. "Stana-who?"

Spoons shrugged. "Ya gotta come back to town, Sheriff."

"What's going on, Spoons?" he asked.

"It's that damn-fox! He's got some boys round town askin' for ye."

"Yeah! They was all up in everybody's business." Waffles nodded vigorously.

"Where's Jake?"

Spoons shivered at the very mention of the rattlesnake. "Err, we ain't seen him."

"Alright." Rango nodded. For the moment, it would be a good idea to keep Jake out of this. The outlaw might attack if aggravated, and Rango wanted an opportunity to get to the bottom of this if he could. He turned to Beans with a shrug. "Looks like we better go and handle this."

She raised a brow at him. "We?"

"I can't go in without my best shot."

She smiled at that, picked up her shotgun and followed him.

All four of them rode into town silent most of the way. Beans' ranch wasn't as far from town as the Glossy farm, but it was still quite out of the way as Beans had once told him. Only a little while later, they were slowing down their roadrunners as they came down Mud's main-street. It didn't take them long to find their targets.

The first thing he noticed was a fellow wearing a Sheriff badge. That made him on edge straight away. The lawman was a hare, with mottled grey and brown fur, a scar on one side of his twitching nose. He wore a jacket and holster, a gold sheriff badge stamped right over his heart. The other stranger was a lizard dressed in a grey suit. They stood there watching Rango expectantly, mild annoyance on their faces. But behind them, Rango could spy the smirking muzzle of Ramirez Arvenga. So they _had_ been sent by Dufayel.

Before Rango could take a single step off his roadrunner towards the strangers, he was almost swarmed by his friends.

"Sheriff!" Buford exclaimed loudly.

Elgin snapped his recommendation. "Tell these yellow-bellied bozos to clear on out, Sheriff!"

"Tell 'em what for!" Sargent Turley cried.

"Let's string 'em up and cut off their giblets!" Spoons shrieked. Rango was beginning to get worried about Spoons' obsession with cutting off certain parts of the body…

"Calm down now everybody, hold on!" he yelled to be heard over them. When they were finally quiet, he said a little more calmly. "Let me handle this."

He strode forward, Beans at his side, and Wounded Bird joining him on the other side. Instead of staying back, like he'd hoped the rest of his former posse followed right on his heels. Rango ignored them though, and came to a stop in front of the strangers.

The hare looked him up and down. "Sheriff Rango?"

"That would be me." Rango nodded with too wide a smile. "And who, might I ask, are you two deplorable gentlemen?" He hoped _deplorable_ was the right word. The meaning escaped him at the moment.

"I'm Lawman Capross," said the hare. "And this is Mr Tailgait, a lawyer."

Mr Tailgait stepped forward. "We need to speak with you, sir, this being an area of your… _expertise_."

"You've been sent by Dufayel?" Rango asked.

"We have." Nodded Capross.

Beans narrowed her eyes angrily. "And? What's he want?"

"Well, Miss," Capross said, glancing in her direction. "Mr Dufayel has sent us to remover the inhabitants of this town."

Before Rango could say a word, everyone gathered behind him had pulled out a firearm and aimed it right in the faces of the strangers. Some were as small as pistols; others were huge rifles. The strangers leaned back as far as they could to avoid the barrels of the multiple guns. Ramirez rolled his eyes.

Beans' lip curled. "That answer enough for ye?"

"Please, put those things down!" Rango shouted, forcefully pushing several of the guns down himself.

"Appreciated." Mr Tailgait murmured as he straightened his suit. "We want to do this cleanly."

"Cleanly?" Waffles asked.

"My client would like to keep this arrangement simple," Tailgate said. "He's more than happy to work with the law in this case. Mr Dufayel owns these lands. By law, he can do whatever he likes with them."

"This is our home!" Beans shouted indignantly.

"Hold on, Beans," Rango murmured, attempting to sooth her. "Well, gentlemen, let us have our own town Attorneys take a look at this, shall we?"

"By all means."

Rango looked around and shouted out, "Where's Mr Catridge?"

Someone ran into the small shop of 'Catridge and Sons Attorneys'. Only a few moments later, a weasel came running out as fast as his legs could carry him. He looked a little dishevelled, with his shirt coming out of his pants and his whiskers in a busy mess. But he still stood tall and straight as he came up to Rango with a huge, if slightly nervous looking, smile.

"What can I do for ye, Sheriff?" he asked in a nasally voice, like someone with a cold.

Rango gestured towards Mr Tailgait who was fishing out numerous documents from a briefcase. "They got some papers for ye, Mr Catridge. Are they legal?"

Catridge quickly hurried forward and scooped up the documents. Mr Tailgait's lip curled when the weasel accidently crumpled some of the papers in his hands. He began to hurriedly look through them, flicking through page after page with fast eyes.

"Nah, don't believe a word of it." Elgin muttered.

"Let's run 'em out of town, Sheriff!" Bufford yelled.

"Well?" Rango asked the attorney.

Catridge pulled at his collar nervously as he looked between the papers and Rango. "Err, Sheriff Rango, there's not much I can tell ya. These papers… their real and as far as I can tell right now without proper study, they are legit. In the eyes of the law, Dufayel has a point. By staying here… err, everybody in town is breaking the law."

Spoons spat on the ground. "So what? We make new laws!"

"Yeah!" exclaimed the others.

"We aren't moving!" Ambrose shouted.

Capross's hand inched towards his gun as he felt the crowd become restless. Mr Tailgait held up his hand placating. "Please, my client is more than willing to give you all brand new homes to compensate you for everything you've sacrificed –"

Beans snorted. "And you can tell 'im to stuff his compensation up where the sun don't shine!"

"I like your woman, _amigo_ ," Rango heard Ramirez snicker as he strode forward, barging through the lawman and lawyer. "I bet that feisty spirit is great fun in the bedroom."

Rango's eyes narrowed angrily. "Yer lucky I ain't arrested you, Ramirez."

"Oh, making threats, are we? Am I getting you angry?" the coyote grinned wickedly. He then looked back at those gathered behind Rango, and his grin turned into a sneer. "I'd tell your mob to take the deal. I'd hate to have orders to kill you all in your sleep."

"This ain't what we agreed to!" Capross snapped on his ally.

"Then look away, _gringo,"_ the coyote hissed. "This will be fun."

"I'm gonna slice that smile right off your face if you don't shut up!" Elgin snarled.

Ramirez pulled out a knife and grinned. "Come then! Let's dance!"

"Hold up!" Rango shouted and quickly pulled out his gun and pointed it right at Ramirez. "Don't you dare move!"

But the coyote only laughed. "Ooooh, better put that away, _amigo_. Someone could get hurt."

Rango's eyes were level, his hand steady, his voice cold. "Try me."

"Poor lizard. You are _loco_ , aren't you?" Ramirez smirked and stalked forward. "You know how to kill a man, _si_? But could you _really_ stomach it? Go on. Find out. It's one thing to pull the trigger. It's another to watch your kill die."

For a split second, Rango felt doubt creep across his mind. Was Ramirez correct? His encounters with Jake had taught him to find the killer-in-his-eyes, the look of a man prepared to make the kill. But could he then watch someone's life end because of his actions? Could he cope with it? The traitorous thoughts refused to leave him alone, and he shook his head clear of them. He pointed his gun again, a scowl of determination on his face.

"I'm ordering the lot of ye out of town," he said.

"You can't." Capross snapped. "I'm warning you, Sheriff Rango. By operating outside of the law, I will be forced to take this matter into my own hands, as well as those of my department. And you, disobeying the law, will have no one to turn to for help."

"Now, hold on a second!" Rango held up his hands quickly. Panic set through him as he realised how very right they were. He blurted the first thing that came to mind. "I, err, um, I-I never said we refused."

" _What_?" Beans and the rest of his friends gaped at him.

"No, we're… err…" He looked about for any kind of help. And then his eyes found the town hall and the courtroom within it. It was like a firefly had lit up over his head. He remembered the TV shows he watched from inside his tank, the ones about the law and order. It was perfect! "We're taking you to court!"

Mr Tailgate blinked in surprise. "What?"

"Yes!" Rango exclaimed excitedly. "We want to dispute Dufayel in a legal claim! Of course, we're gonna need time to set this up, get lawyers and evidence together."

Ramirez spat out in anger. " _Loco!_ You can't –"

"He can." Capross' voice cut him. Rango was a little surprised, he hadn't thought they'd agree that quickly. But Capross merely nodded to him and made his way to leave. Mr Tailgate bowed as well, before following.

Ramirez watched them leave, before fixing Rango with a glare. "We'll be back, _amigo_. That you can bet on."

Rango watched them leave, and stood there tense and ready for anything until he saw them disappear into the distance. Only then did he sag and let out a long breath. But he didn't get much rest before his mob of friends pounced on him.

"Why'd you let 'em go, Sheriff?" Bufford asked angrily.

Ambrose looked equally cross. "Why are we just sitting here?"

"Yeah! Let's find that darn fox and string him up!" Turley cried.

Spoons agreed. "He's takin' our homes!"

Elgin put a fist in the air. "Let's go get that son-of-a–"

"Quiet!" Rango shouted. "Now, no one is taken anything from nobody, not while I'm Sheriff. Now, I've bought us some time. So we gotta use that the best we can. Ya hear?"

The friends all looked to one another, before begrudgingly muttering their consent. "Aye, we hear."

"Good. Now go on back to your posts. All of you."

They all cleared out, muttering to themselves as they went. Rango could sympathise with their frustration, but they had to understand that he wanted to do this as nicely as possible. If they could beat Dufayel at his own game, then they would take that course of action. He wouldn't let them all become murderers.

He hadn't even realised Beans was there until he felt her soft hand on his shoulder.

"Rango?"

His eyes found hers and he gave her a small smile. "Hey, Beans."

"Rango, you sure about this?"

"Course I am… why wouldn't I?"

But she wasn't placated by his easy-manner. He saw in her eyes that she was quite upset, even fearful. He'd never seen her look this distressed. "You know you can't do this straight-forward, right? Yer gonna have to do something soon…"

"Beans, don't worry," he murmured quietly. He reached out and touched her face, stroking his thumb across her cheek. "I'll get it sorted. I promise, you ain't gonna lose your ranch."

She gave him a smile, a smile that said she trusted him implicitly, that she believed in him. Despite the fact that she wasn't usually a woman for public affection, she buried herself in his arms. Rango held her, determined to keep his promise to this wonderful woman however he had to.

* * *

"So he thinks he can play his game? _Incroyable_ , _monsieur_ Rango. But I still have a few moves left on the board." Taking a swig of brandy, Dufayel looked back at one of his minions. "Send in Mon Hellsing."

He waited for exactly five minutes, and then the door opened. The fox turned, brandy in one hand, the other in a pocket, and welcomed his new guest.

A mongoose came strutting into his office. Hellsing was tall and imposing but was more lean instead of muscular. Patches of fur were missing on his chest and legs, Dufayel noticing how they appeared to be in areas used for restraint. His intel had told him that Hellsing had hints of a past in captivity, but those marks were all the proof he needed. The fox was a little disdainful of the filthy black trench coat that hung off of the mongoose's shoulders. What was worse that he came in fully armed. Two revolvers hung in a holster, a rifle was slung over his back and a bowie knife across one hip. After the business with Henry, Dufayel had wanted no one but himself to ever be armed on these premises. But decided to not mention it and instead keep his guard up. He focused on Hellsing's face. A black desperado hat shadowed his eyes and a handkerchief covered his jaw.

The mongoose pulled down the handkerchief to speak. "This better be good to drag me all the way up into this hovel of shit."

Dufayel's jaw clenched at the crude language. Honestly, was no one civilised in this country? He decided to hide his disdain behind a charming smile. " _Monsieur_ Hellsing, welcome. Or should I call you Justin Montgomery?"

Hellsing went as still as stone at the use of his proper name. Dufayel grinned wickedly in triumph. With just one sentence, he had him where he wanted him. Hellsing looked seriously at him. "Alright, you got my attention."

"My name is Dufayel. I have a job for you. There's someone I want you to go after."

"You realise I ain't cheap, right?"

Dufayel waved a hand around the expensively decorated office, disinterestedly. "You know the cost doesn't concern me."

"Obviously, otherwise you wouldn't have hired the best." Hellsing grinned.

"And are you? The best?"

"I take on the jobs no one else wants to. I ain't ever lost. I say that makes me the best."

Dufayel took a seat behind his desk and watched Hellsing over the rim of his glass. "A realist might say that makes you reckless,"

"Set me on one of them filthy scalies and I'll show ya just how much I can make 'em wriggle…" the dark grin that spread over his face was a little too eager to be considered normal.

"That will not be necessary," Dufayel muttered. "I do not need this snake killed."

Hellsing's expression turned from a frown to a scowl. "Then what the hell ya hired me for?"

"Aren't you the best?"

"I prefer to kill them scummy worms, not keep 'em alive for ya. The price just doubled." He crossed his arms angrily. "'Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.' Luke 10:19."

"I don't care. I just want you to find this snake and bring it back here. Alive." Dufayel snapped. "Do this, and you will receive all the payment you wish. Name your price."

"Even if it's outrageous? You know yer paying for only the best…"

"Whatever. Name it."

A slow smile spread over Hellsing's face. "I hear yer going after gold. I want a rock as big as my hand."

"Done."

"Alright!" Hellsing cheered. "Who's the slippery bastard you want?"

"This one." Dufayel threw a picture onto the desk. Carefully, Mon Hellsing picked it up and inspected it from every angle. When he looked to Dufayel he found the fox smirking as he held up his glass of brandy. "A Gopher Snake by the name of Benjamin Hares…"

* * *

 **Author's Note: Yes, I'm leaving you on that cliffhanger ;)**

 **Mon Hellsing doesn't belong to me, but is actually the creation of zombiefear101. So I thank him for the use of this character. I hope I did him justice.**

 **QUESTION: This chapter has brought to my attention something that I was wondering for the future. Do people wish to see M-rated content? Or not? Please let me know your answer in the review box. I'm happy either way, so I leave this up to you guys.**


	21. Drinkin' Doubles

**Author's Note: A lot of people wanted to see Grace out on the town, and I wanted something else to happen before I push Grace and Jake's relationship further. So I thought I'd include this previously unscheduled chapter for you guys. And besides, the song to this chapter I love! Please listen to it, it's fab!**

 **Also, please don't forget to check out the TV Troupes page - its wonderful and a lot of hard work has gone into it by the wonderful Olmo.**

 **Please remember to review!**

* * *

Drinkin' Doubles

 _"_ _When you came in the air went out_

 _And every shadow filled up with doubt_

 _I don't know who you think you are but before the night is through_

 _I wanna do bad things with you"_ – Jace Everett ' _Bad Things'_

* * *

Dufayel had received their message and had sent one of his own. His lawyers, from what people told Rango, were the best in the business. The fox had all the evidence at his disposal, and he was even pushing the court fees towards Rango. Though a date hadn't been made yet. Still, needless to say that Rango was doing his best to try to not panic.

And failing.

By the end of the day, he was hyperventilating, stuck in the corner of his room, muttering about Lady McBeth or something like that. Beans didn't really understand it; she just knew she had to snap him out of it. Unfortunately for her, Rango was quite eccentric, and so getting his attention could sometimes be problematic.

She knelt in front of her lover and waved her hand in his face. "Hello? Rango? I know ya can hear me, so talk to me."

"Will it never end? Shall these hands never be clean?" Rango muttered to himself.

"Rango… Rango? … Rango!" Beans shouted at last and slapped him in the face.

The chameleon startled, as if awakening from a dream and looked at her. "Beans! What was that for?"

"You'd gone into yer happy place again. Ya gotta calm down."

"I can't, there's too much to do. There's the jury, the evidence, the statement of character, we've got to get it all perfect!" he exclaimed fearfully.

"I know!" she snapped, then added in a softer tone, "I know. But you goin' all crazy on us ain't calmin' folks down one bit. They need you… I need you."

Rango looked at the woman before him, and realised the truth of her words. She was barely holding back one of her little episodes, a slight tremor in her hair the only signal of her subtle shaking. Instantly, he felt terrible. Calling on all his actors instincts, he straightened himself out and put on a brave face just for her.

"Yer right, Beans," he said softly. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Sorry."

She smiled and relaxed. "Now that's alright. Let's take yer mind off all this."

"What do you have in mind?"

Her smile grew wider. "What do we all do in the middle of the apocalypse? We drink."

"What? Beans, I don't–"

"Let's go out for the night. We won't get silly, we'll just have some fun. Take yer mind off everything. I think this town could use it."

He looked out the window of his office. Indeed, he saw that people were walking about with their heads bent low, too engrossed in their own thoughts to even say good morning to their neighbours. An air of anxiety hung over the town, a ension that sorely needed to be eased.

"Huh… maybe yer right," he murmured.

"'course I am." She bumped his shoulder with her own. Then, she was strolling out of the Sheriff's office, with Rango at her heels. She gave him a quick good-bye kiss and mounted her roadrunner. "See ya tonight, Rango. And don't you dare stand me up on this!"

"N-no, ma'am, I won't!"

Beans nodded and then turned her steed around and left. She first of all went to Pricilla's house and spoke with the mouse's mother. The conversation didn't last very long. Pricilla's mother was a woman of few words who was always straight to the point. With her business concluded, Beans went straight out of town towards the Glossy Farm.

Grace was in one of her front pens, shovelling something off the ground and into a bucket. Beans really didn't want to know whatever the hell it was. The lizard couldn't see any sign of Jake anywhere, and so took that as a good sign. The less she had to deal with the hell-snake, the better. So, she dismounted and made her way over to the glossy woman.

Grace was surprised when she looked up to find the desert iguana at her fence. "Beans?"

"Afternoon Miss Grace," Beans said cheerily. "You got any plans for tonight?"

"Well, uh, none that I'm–"

"Good, 'cause yer comin' on out."

"What?" Grace blanched.

"Me and Rango are gonna have a night at the saloon. Ya flaked on us last time. Ya can make up for it now."

"I don't want to intrude–"

"It's just gonna be a friendly couple of drinks. I figure with everythin' that's going on, we all need a chance to take a load off."

Grace was about to refuse, but something stilled her tongue. Beans was partially right, with all the pressure from Dufayel and the entire situation, it was hard to find moments of peace in all this. Perhaps a moment to relax was what she needed. A fleeting thought for the folks of town crossed her mind. She'd been subject to their stares and suspicion before. Did she want that for a whole night? But then again, she was out with Beans and Rango, so would it matter?

Slowly, she looked back at Beans. "You know what… that doesn't sound half bad. But what do I do with Teddy?"

The desert iguana had a devious smile upon her face. "Already taken care of. Pracilla's mom's offered to have him for the night."

"Ha! You've thought of everything."

"I don't take no for an answer."

Grace shook her head, but she was smiling broadly. "Sometimes I think you should be the Sheriff of this town. Lord knows a lot more things would get done."

"Ain't that the truth," Beans snorted. "But we ladies gotta stick to the back of the class. Let the boys think they run the show – for now."

Grace laughed. "I'll meet you at the Saloon in a couple of hours."

"No flakin' this time!"

Grace was grinning as she watched Beans ride away back towards town. An excited energy zipped through her as she hurried to finish her chores around the farm. Once she found Teddy out by the barn, she told him of his spontaneous sleep-over at Pricilla's. The boy couldn't keep in his excitement, and rushed through to his room to pack all the things he'd need. Not long after that, Pricilla and her mother came by the house to pick him up. Grace feared the mother cactus-mouse might be frightened or standoffish on snake-lands, but surprisingly the woman said very little though seemed pleasant enough. Oddly, she seemed very calm and quiet and good natured, a far cry from Pricilla's death-obsessed personality.

Though she was nervous to see her son go, Grace couldn't help but feel a little spring in her slither. She took her time polishing her glossy scales, brushed her teeth to their finest whites. Then came the art of getting ready. As a snake, she could wear very little without looking ridiculous. Tonight, she swapped her usual black-lace choker for a necklace of dark silk with a red stone in the middle. Stick-on earrings and a rose and feather headdress decorated her head. Her eyes were shaded, her cheeks rosy with blusher, and her lips dark red. She hadn't dressed herself up like this since she'd been single and fancy-free, before she met Benjamin. She'd only ever worn this stuff once, the onetime she'd gone out during her rebellious teenage years, her father had nearly lost his mind. He'd forbidden her from dressing like a tart again, and so she'd obeyed. But now, she wanted to dress up, to feel pretty.

With her outfit complete, she could hardly contain herself enough to stop from sprinting all the way to town. By the time she made it to the saloon, sunset had cast the sky in hues of dark red and blazing orange. Dark was coming quickly, and she wanted to be inside before then – would it seem too late by then? She could hear the noise from inside and hesitated. Fear and doubt crept up her spine. But she pushed past them. She'd done a lot for this town already, if they couldn't handle this, then their loss. She went inside.

Music from a piano and guitar played boisterously but quietly in the corner. The general din of gentlemen talking to each other was louder. A slight fog drifted to the ceiling from the many cigarettes and cigars lit on each of the table. Lamp light gave the room a warm glow, and the creak of rusty fans turning overhead gave a constant noise.

But then the noise stopped as everyone turned their heads to look at her. Once again, she felt that fear settle in her stomach. She felt self-conscious and foolish under their stares. Why on earth had she thought this was a good idea? She wanted to crawl under a rock and die, but she steadied herself. She couldn't see Beans and Rango, so went straight for the bar. Screw that, if these guys thought they would cow her away, they could think again.

Eyes followed her as she made her way up to the toad, Bufford, at the bar. She could sense they were nervous. They didn't know what to make of her. But she ignored them. Clearing her throat, she grabbed the toad's attention.

"I'll have a whiskey, please," she said quietly. Bufford nodded and set her a glass on the table. Grace could still feel people watching her. So she blurted, "You know what, make it a double."

Bufford paused, brow cocked quizzically. She heard a murmur from a few patrons. Usually women couldn't handle such a strong drink.

Grace gave a brave smile and shrugged. "What can I say? My daddy taught me right."

It was as if a spell had been broken. The tension eased in the room, and everyone went back to their own business. Now that she'd proven herself to be normal, she could conduct her business in peace. Grace heaved a sigh of relief. She smiled her thanks to Bufford when he handed her the drink. She took a strong gulp and felt the fire race down her throat.

She heard the doors swing open, followed by a loud shout, "Miss Grace!"

She turned to see Rango and Beans striding into the saloon. Rango had a huge grin on his face, and Beans looked ravishing in a dress of deep red and her own make-up applied. Grace grabbed her drink as Rango gestured her over towards a table in the corner of the room.

"Sheriff Rango, Beans," she greeted them in a pleasant tone as she sat down.

Beans smiled. "Hi ya, Grace."

"You enjoying our little town, Miss Grace?" Rango asked.

Grace looked around the room. "It's… foggier then I expected."

"You'll get used to it," said Beans. "Men are always at their best when they're drinking and smoking."

"I resent that, Beans," Rango shot back.

"Only 'cause yer a lightweight."

Rango looked away, his cheeks turning a shade of red. "Only because I was in the tank."

"Tank?" Grace asked.

"Sheriff here's been brought up in a tank. Never had a drink till a year ago," Beans explained. She leaned over to Grace, and whispered, "You wait and watch, he gets crazy faster than a fly on shit."

"I never knew you used to be pet, Rango," Grace said to the Sheriff. "What are the humans like?"

He shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "Oh, blobby, big, fleshy things. Always noisy. Can't really remember much else."

An awkward silence settled over the table. Grace felt a little bad now for asking. Rango clearly didn't remember his tank with any true fondness. She downed the rest of her drink and then motioned to the bar for more. Bufford came right over to top her up, along with give Rango and Beans their own drinks.

"Is that double whiskey?" Rango asked, clearly looking for any kind of distraction. "Not exactly a lady's drink."

Grace shrugged. "My daddy always said: go all in or go home."

Beans laughed. "Ha! I always did like him."

"It's been a while since I drank properly – we'll be fallin' over together, Rango, eh?" she winked at the chameleon playfully.

"I'll drink to that!" Rango grinned and raised his glass. The others raised their glasses to his.

"So, what brought all this on?" Grace asked.

Beans groaned. "Dufayel tried to legally force us out this time. Had a lawman and everything. Only thing Rango could do was pledge to take 'em to court over it."

"And now he has you by the balls."

Rango almost spat his drink back out. "Language!"

"Sorry. Just slipped out." Grace murmured apologetically. She gave a half smile, and raised her glass. "Well, here's to Dufayel, let's hope someone busts his balls sometime soon."

"Save me losing my hammer. I think he'd just take it and then moan me to death." Beans said as she drank.

"I thought women usually did that," Rango murmured.

"Rango!"

Grace chuckled. "From what I remember of my momma, she never moaned – left that all up to my daddy."

"Tell me about it," Beans rolled her eyes. "I think they moan that we moan more than we actually moan about anythin'!"

They chuckled and drank their glasses dry. They called for Bufford to refill them. But this time, he came back with friends. Elgin, Spoons, Waffles, Sargent Turley, the Doctor, Wounded Bird and Ambrose all came to gather round the table. They didn't seem hostile, as far as Grace could tell. She seemed to gather the impression that these were Rango's immediate friends, and that they all stayed together usually.

"Evenin' Sheriff," they all murmured with a tip of their hats.

"Evening boys!" Rango replied joyfully.

"Hey, you're that snake up on that boar farm?" the cat asked.

Before Grace could answer, Rango beat her to the punch. "Sure is, Elgin. Can I help you gentlemen?"

"This here's the one that turned our water back on," Spoons nodded.

"Was in the aquafer, weren't ya?" Waffles asked, wide eyed.

Grace nodded. "Yeah, was creepy down there."

"Ah, I here that," Elgin nodded as he pulled up a chair beside their table. "Hate the damp, never wanna go back down that hole in my life."

The others followed his lead. The table was suddenly rather crowded. Turley then piped up, "Back in the army they used to shove ya down holes and make ya dig ya way out."

"Really?" Beans asked, aghast. "Officers would do that?"

"Officers? No. Other recruits. Told me it was character-building."

Waffles nodded enthusiastically. "My daddy once put a whiskey bottle up my–"

"Whoa! Waffles!" Rango exclaimed. "We ain't talking 'bout that kinda hole!"

"Oh…"

The group laughed and drank on. Grace was hardly aware of time passing as she continued to talk with the group of friends around her. The drinks kept coming and the laughter came easier with it. There was no tension, no looking at her funny because she was a snake. Waffles even told her she was pretty at one point. As the hours went by, Grace realised that she was getting a little drunk as she snorted like a pig with real belly-bursting laughter, and told stories to these people she would never have said.

At one point, Beans was laughing until her eyes glistened with tears. "Ha! I didn't know you had cousins!"

"Grand-daddy's relatives," Grace nodded with a giggle. "They live far out close to the road. Creepy bunch, really. One of 'em – think his name was Johosan – used to annoy me like crazy. One time, I made my spit into foam and made him think I was diseased. I chased him all over his house – he never came near me again."

"This one time, in band camp," said Bufford, "was goin' through pooberty and slime sprouted all along my back."

The doctor snorted. "It's called puberty, nitwit."

"Girl's hated it." Bufford said.

"Ah, hear that. Women." Elgin rolled his eyes.

"I didn't know you went to band camp, Bufford," said Rango with a constant smile – Beans was right, he was a lightweight.

"Sure did. Teacher thought I was a walkin' trombone,"

"Why?" Spoons asked.

Bufford stood up and sucked in a huge breath. His throat expanded until it was pushing the table with its massive girth. Then, he opened his mouth and a huge deep sound burst out, like a burp, but also musical-sounding. There was a second of stunned silence, before the whole group burst into uproarious laughter.

"Another round 'o drinks!" Rango called.

The doctor hiccupped. "Make it a double!"

"Hey Beans," Grace said, and wobbled as she leaned into the woman beside her. "Thanks for bringing me out here – it's the most fun I've had in years!"

* * *

It was long since dark when Jake finally made his way home to Grace's farm. His scouting that day had been uneventful at first, until he'd met with Delilah out in the desert. She'd come looking for him to give him a report, as he'd ordered. She hadn't found Dufayel or Ramirez's hiding place yet, but she was close. It would only be a matter of time before she found someone to step on to tell her what she wanted. But there was something else. Something was going down in the Gunslinger Court, there were whispers and rumours of something happening. Jake knew this level of dissent in the ranks could only mean trouble. He'd need to get on it as quickly as he could. The last thing he needed was someone getting cocky and messing up everything he'd built.

But that could be dealt with tomorrow. For now, he just needed a good meal, a good night's sleep. He'd tell Grace he'd be gone for a day or two at most to deal with the problems of the gunslingers, then he'd be back. He'd stress the importance of her _NOT_ choosing those days to get into as much trouble as possible.

Yet when he returned to the farm, he was curious as to why not a single light was on in the house. He knew it was a little late, but not _that_ late, surely. Grace should've still been awake at least. He let himself into the house and was a little more nervous when he was met by such silence. It wasn't even the silence of a house sleeping, because even that has a little noise somewhere, this was the silence of emptiness.

Jake readied his gun just in case. His tongue flickered out, but he could smell nothing except for old scents. "Grace?" he called.

His eyes caught on the coffee table in the living room. A piece of paper. By the light of the moon filtering in through the window, he was able to read the words on it: _Jake, Gone out for a few drinks with Rango and Beans. Teddy's staying at a friend's. Won't be out too late. Grace._

The rattlesnake tried to supress his irritation. He didn't like the idea of Grace out on the town, especially not at a time like this. But she wasn't his woman, why should he care where she was? Well, it was his job right now to keep her safe, but he wasn't her damned babysitter.

So he resigned himself to sit up and wait for her to come back.

And so he waited.

And waited…

And waited…

He watched the clock. It had been a couple of hours. His tail was beginning to rattle with growing anger.

He waited a little more.

It was almost midnight. He grit his teeth and tried to hold in his temper.

Midnight. His patience snapped.

He was storming out of the house in a furious temper. His blazing red eyes glowed in the dark like two fires on the move. All through his journey into town, he was cursing and swearing under his breath about how nothing could ever be simple, how females just had to make his life complicated. No one was in the streets of Mud as he came thrashing down it. Which was probably good, because otherwise he would've probably shot somebody.

He burst into the saloon, the stench of cigarettes and alcohol burned his nose. The room went deathly silent as everyone turned to him and beheld him with terrified eyes. Drunkenness made their emotions take control and scrambled their minds to the point where they couldn't move. Jake's hellfire eyes scanned every corner of the room. A visible shiver passed through the crowd as his vision slipped over each one of them.

"Heeeeeeey Jake!" called a cheery voice. Jake locked his eyes with a table in the corner, where he saw Rango sprawled across it, a serene smile eclipsing his entire face.

Jake cocked one brow, his eyes narrowed. "Sheriff."

"What _yoooooooooou_ doing here?" he slurred. "You wanna drink! Come have a drink! We're fantastic!"

Jake fixed the woman, Beans, with a glare. "What the hell's happened to this fool?"

She fidgeted. "He's drunk."

"I'm not dwunk!" Rango said. "I'm high on life, Beanz! I'm fweeeeeeeeeeeee!"

"Get 'im outta here before I blast a whole lotta lead in his gut," Jake snapped angrily. Half the room jumped with fright.

Rango whined, "Jacob! Why you gotta be so meeeeeeeeeeeean!"

"Where's Grace?" the rattlesnake asked, ignoring the Sheriff.

Beans tried to help Rango off the table. "She's in the bathroom, she'll be–"

A door at the back of the room swung open noisily. Jake's eyes fixed on the figure. Grace was leaning against the door frame. Her makeup was dark and smoky, and she was beautiful in a set of jewellery and head-dress that made her creamy scales stand out. A pheromone wafted out from her, one signalling how drunk she was, but a subtle heat interweaved with it, one that Jake found delicious on his tongue. He was momentarily stunned by the sight of her as she slithered into the room, brown eyes cast about, lidded and inviting. Her body swayed back and forth as she moved.

Her eyes found Jake's and for a moment they stared at one another. Something heated entered her eyes. She frowned, as if confused to see him. Her coils bunched underneath her, and she slowly drew towards him.

"Jake?" she murmured. Then, a huge grin spread across her face. "Jake! You came!"

He didn't know what to make of her sudden enthusiastic and over-friendly behaviour. "What the hell happened to you?"

"I've just been havin' fun, no big deal." She leaned in close to him, oblivious to the fact she was invading his personal space. "Why don't you drink with me? Let's drink together! I bet yer funny drunk…"

"You know I don't drink."

"Oh, that's right… I'm sorry!" she blurted. And then, just as quick as her apology, she leaned forward until their noses were almost brushing. Her eyes became heavy, her voice husky. "Sorry, I didn't mean it… forgive me?"

Jake stared at her. Her perfume was clogging up his senses. The way she was looking at him was making it very hard to think.

"Hey, why you here, Jake?" she asked.

"I came fer–"

"For me? Oh, thank you! But I'm fine." She giggled. She bit her lip, and then bumped her side against his, which then turned into a rub as she slithered past him. Her tail came up to slide underneath his chin in a very suggestive manner. "I'm a big girl now… you should know that…"

Jake's brain couldn't catch up. He was momentarily scrambled and unable to comprehend what the hell was going on. Grace was flirting with him, her scent was drowning him, a fire was spreading through his gut and he didn't know what to do about it. Apparently everyone else was as dumfounded as he was, for everyone was watching Grace with open mouthed shock.

"Err… what's she doing?" Sargent Turley asked.

Elgin shook his head, mystified. "Girl's gotta death wish, I swear."

Grace was oblivious. She grinned at Jake as she went past him and circled back towards the bar. "What are we all staring at? Booferd! Drinks all round!"

"No." Jake said sharply. He'd gathered his wits when he was reminded that Grace right now seemed to be off her face drunk. He reached for her and looped his coils around her body. He pulled her towards the door. "You've had too much. Yer goin' home. Right now."

"Oh, but I wanna stay… pleeeease!"

"No."

She cast a look to her table of gobsmacked friends and grinned. "Oops. Sorry, gotta go – somebody says I've been a _very_ naughty girl…" At her words, Jake covered up his momentary pause. Grace giggled. "By Beans! We'll do this again real soon!"

Jake had no intention of letting that happen.

He half dragged, half helped Grace back to her home. The journey took twice as long as it usually would have, with Grace zigzagging in her slithering pattern due to her drunken state. Jake actually thought it a testament to his patience that he managed to keep it together without shouting at her once for the entire journey. But Grace made up for it, she was loud and full of laughter and the occasional bout of song. Jake could only hope that she'd pass out soon.

Once they finally reached the farm, Jake heaved a sigh of relief. Grace was held in the midst of his coils, her own serpentine body wrapped around him also. He held her and he pulled them both into the dark and silent house and began to climb up the stairs. He doubted that Grace was in any state to navigate stairs.

"Oh! And he carries me through the front door – Benjamin never even did that on our wedding." Grace said. She then paused for a moment of thought. "Actually, he was awful in bed that night too – and every night after. Maybe I need more experience before I write men off. What do'ya think?"

Jake didn't want her to know how much it bothered him to hear her talk about her husband in the same context as sex. He didn't know what to think of it himself. So he settled for saying: "I think ya need to get in bed."

He reached her door. Before he could open it, he felt her shift. Her coils tightened around his, bunching and releasing softly like a massage. Her head came up beside his and he felt her tongue flicker behind his ear as she whispered: "Ya not comin' in with me?"

"Shut up." He snapped.

She giggled girlishly. "Yer cute when yer mad. Girls like that, makes it seem like their boys are rough…"

Ignoring her, he forced open her bedroom door and pulled her inside. It was dark and the glossy snake was most uncooperative with him. Jake didn't know how it happened, but she pulled and he pulled back, and then they were suddenly toppling over. The pair of them fell in a heap of tangled coils in the middle of her bed, and Jake had to take a moment to figure out which way was up as he felt her pressing all around him.

"Whoo!" Grace gasped. Then her face was right beside his, and grinning wildly. "Hey professor, I'd do anything for an A!"

Jake snorted but quickly pulled himself away from her. He got up, half dragging her with him. He practically dumped her back on her mattress and thin sheets. Before he could make a quick exit, her slim tail shot out and wrapped around his.

"Hey Jake…" Grace murmured in a quiet voice that was so unlike her loud drunken self a second ago. Jake turned to fix his eyes on her. "I'm not so bad am I?"

"What?" he asked, confused.

She sighed and came closer, her voice quieter and a little croaked. "I'm not just some woman who's wasted her life on kids and marriage before her time. I'm… I'm good for something, ain't I?"

Jake didn't know where this had come from or what she really meant by it. But he knew he couldn't stand to see her so desperately looking at him like that. "Sure…"

"I just… I just want…"

He was caught almost completely off guard when she suddenly lunged forward and planted her lips against his. Red eyes widened and stared down at the woman who was kissing him with a fiery passion. Jake was stunned, unable to move as he tried to regain control of himself. Heat surged through his body, and his tail rattled with instinctive excitement. Before he could tell himself to do it, his coils were wrapping around her, pulling her against him as a fever swept through his –

Grace collapsed and fell limp. Jake looked down, confused. Her eyes were already closed, and her breathing even. She was completely unconscious.

Jake sighed, shook his head, and then carefully put her back into bed. He left her there, tucked up in her own sheets. He didn't know what the hell had just happened, but he knew one thing… he didn't want it to end there.

As he left, he grinned to himself. He and Grace were going to have a good conversation in the morning, and hopefully pick up right where tonight left off…


	22. Boiling Point

**Author's Note: Apologies for the short length of the chapter and any and all mistakes. It is gone midnight here, and I really wanted to get this out to you guys ASAP.**

 **I know several people wanted to see more Rango/Beans this chapter. Whilst I do enjoy writing them, please remember that they are secondary characters. The main focus is on Grace and Jake. We will be seeing Beans and Rango again, most definitely, but only when we need to.**

 **There is a line in here "When ya look at me, what'd ya see?" This is a reference to the story "Awake and Alive" by Grim Piggles. It's a fantastic story, and I seriously recommend you all go read it if you haven't already.**

 **As always, I love feedback. Please don't forget to review!**

* * *

Boiling Point

 _"_ _So hard to hold back_

 _When I'm holding you in my arms_

 _We don't need to rush this…_

 _Let's just take it slow…" – Lady Antebellum 'Just A Kiss'_

* * *

All Grace could think about was the pain that pounded through her skull. Then thinking about it hurt it all the more. Sunlight streamed through her window and it burned her eyes and made her want to pluck them out. Her tongue felt like sandpaper, her throat dry, her stomach heaved.

She knew the signs. She was hungover. Bad. It took all her willpower to slide off of her bed and crawl towards her door. Only a fleeting thought entered her mind as to how she got home. Had Beans dropped her back? Had she somehow managed to get back to her own house in her state? She didn't know, but thanked her lucky stars nothing untoward had become of her.

A flash in her dresser mirror made her stop and look at herself. She gasped. Her makeup was smudged, and she was still dressed in the attire she'd worn the previous evening. She was a horrendous sight to behold. As quickly as her delicate body would allow her, she began to fix herself. In her head she could hear her father scolding her on women that looked like tramps after their nights out. She struggled not to wince.

She thought a bit of incense dabbed at her throat might make her smell a little better. But the fumes seeped into her nostrils and mouth and she instantly regretted it. Her stomach rolled and threatened to send its entire contents back up her throat. Only through sheer force of will and a clamped jaw to she stop herself from vomiting all over her bedroom floor.

After what felt like hours of torturous slow moving through endless corridors filled with bright sunlight, she made it to her kitchen. The stairs had been the trickiest. Ever other step, she'd had to stop in order to control her stomach again and again. But finally she made it to her sink and poured herself a glass of water. She didn't even look at the coffee pot. The mere thought made her heave. The first glass of cool water went down her throat in seemingly no time at all. She gulped it down like it was air. But even then it helped to slightly relieve her headache and settle her churning insides. The second glass was slower, but each sip still helped in its own small way.

She was on her third when she heard a knock on the frame of her kitchen door. Instantly she winced at the loud noise that pierced her eardrums. She spun to see none other than a rather smug looking Rattlesnake Jake coming into her kitchen.

"Easy on the noise, please," she groaned.

"I'm surprised yer even movin'," Jake smirked as he came into the room. He came right up beside her, and Grace would've raised a brow at how close he was, if her head wasn't still a mess. "You'd seemed to've drank a lot."

She snorted. "A little too much, I can say now…"

"But at least yer awake… that's somethin'."

"I wish I weren't, _believe_ me."

Jake fixed her with a hard look. "Oh I don't."

"Really?" She eyed him over the rim of her glass, a scaly brow inching upwards with curiosity. What the hell had gotten into him?

"Now we can get to business,"

Her frown deepened. "Business? Your deal's with Rango, not me."

"I ain't talkin' 'bout that," He said shortly. When all she did was look at him dumbly, he leaned it, so close she could almost see every individual scale on his nose. His voice was quiet, his eyes hooded. "I'm talkin' 'bout last night."

Grace winced again. She'd known this was coming. "Look, I'm sorry for the note. I should've told you in person. But I just–"

"I brought ya home." He cut her off with a hard look.

"Wait, what? You did?"

"Ya don't remember?"

"No… I-I don't…"

Jake's eyes grew hard and impatient and Grace was at a complete and utter loss as to why. His voice was slightly raised as he glared at her. "Well, what do ya remember?"

"I… I… I don't… it's all a little blurry…"

"Damn it, woman! You don't remember me carryin' ya home? Helpin' ya in bed?"

"Jeez, Jake, I'm sorry. But thank you for what you did, I really–"

"I don't want yer apologies! I want–"

"Momma?" came a little voice.

Teddy. Grace recognised it instantly. She hadn't even realised the time when she'd woken up, was he home already? In any case, despite her still sensitive body, she wanted to see her boy. So she brushed past the rattler and raced down the hallway to the front door, completely unaware of the agitated snake she'd left in her kitchen.

* * *

Throughout the rest of the day, Jake was a writhing mass of anger and irritation. All he could think about was the fool he must've looked because of that woman! He should've known last night had been too good to be true! Now the woman was parading herself around right in front of him and had the audacity to not remember a thing!

After her boy had come home, he'd isolated himself to the outside of the house. He didn't want to be bothered until this burning sensation inside of him was gone. Though that didn't look to be any time soon. It was now evening and still it was just as fierce as before. It was part anger, part lust, and a whole lot of trouble. He briefly wondered if he should abandon his watch to seek out the nearest brothel he could. But then he dismissed the idea. He knew he'd only want one snake tonight, the very thought had plagued his mind with need since the previous night.

It was his own damn fault he was in this situation. His desire wasn't being reciprocated and that needed to be rectified.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a small voice. "Hey, Jake!" called Teddy as he shot out of the house. "You coming in for supper? It's still hot."

"I'm sure he will, Teddy." Grace came out onto her porch, looking a lot better than she had that morning. She shot Jake an amused smirk. "That is, if he's done sulking for the day?"

Whatever was left of Jake's patience snapped.

He spun around and glared at her with all the ferocity he possessed. He shouted at the top of his lungs, "If yer done tauntin' me, woman, yer can _piss off_ back to the saloon! Make my day a lot better!"

Grace clutched Teddy to her. The pair of them stared at him in stunned silence. Only then did Jake realise what he'd said. But he refused to falter, to show any weakness. But he didn't have to. Grace's face already darkened into one of cold anger. She gently pushed her son back towards the house.

"Teddy, go to bed now," she murmured, without taking her glare off of Jake.

"Yes, Momma," Teddy mumbled, a little rattled. He dashed back into the house and closed the door behind him with a bang.

Grace's glare didn't let up one bit. They both waited in silence for the other to do something. It grew heavy with tension all around them, like a thunderstorm overhead preparing to strike out with lightning and rain.

When Grace spoke, her voice was low and as dangerous as Jake had ever heard. "I'm not standing for being insulted in my own home, Jake."

He snorted. "I ain't apologisin' fer the truth."

"What the Hell is your problem?!" she all but screeched. She shot forward towards him, as if to go toe to toe with him (metaphorically speaking). "All day, you've been moody and foul! It ain't fair on Teddy, and it certainly ain't fair on me! I wanna know exactly what is going on!"

"You wanna know?" he sneered. Fine, if she wanted to play the game, he'd play. He leaned in and gave her a condescending leer. "You kissed me."

Instantly, she faltered. She blinked her big brown eyes at him, face slack with shock. "W-What?"

"Last night. You flirted with me."

"I-I couldn't've…"

"Ya kissed me."

"No I didn't–"

"Ya almost pulled me into yer bed."

"Oh god! We didn't, did we?" she gaped at him in horror.

Jake scowled, his lip pulled back over his teeth. He let his anger once again seep back into his voice. "So now yer gonna insult me right to my face?!"

"No!" she snapped. "I don't mean it like that–"

"Then how do ya mean it? From where I'm standin' that was a very clear message."

"I'm not that type of woman, Jake." She hissed coldly.

"Oh really? It looked a lot like it."

"Damn it! You don't get to judge me like I'm one of your harlots!"

"You were the one that started it – not me. _You_ wanted me. Did everythan' you could to try and get me."

"I was drunk! Out of my mind!"

"Still didn't stop ya."

Her eyes were burning furiously with indignation at the insults. "Go to Hell!"

Jake didn't think to stop the snappish remark he always gave when someone said those words to him. "Where do ye think I come from, woman?!"

Once again, Grace paused. She frowned, puzzled. Jake instantly regretted his words. Why did he have to open that can of worms? He could see the cogs ticking in Grace's mind as she tried to puzzle out what he meant. He hoped to whatever God other people believed in that she'd drop the subject. That was a place he never wanted to revisit.

"What do you mean?" she asked quietly.

"Nothin'." He turned away from her and tried to walk away. He was done with this now. "Don't got nothin' to do with you anyway."

A heartbeat later and she was suddenly in front of him, attempting to block his escape. "No, Jake. I wanna know exactly what you're talking about. If you're keeping something from me–"

"It ain't none of yer business! I ain't tellin' you or no one!"

"Then how am I supposed to trust you?"

He leaned in to her, fiery eyes ablaze like real hellfire. "You got no right to know a damn thing about me."

She seemed to take those words on board. Her sides heaved as she breathed deeply. She was trying to gather her feelings, but he knew he'd bested her. Finally, she muttered spitefully, "Well. Then I guess that settles–"

She'd tried to worm her way back around him to head back to the house. But he cut her off when his coils snatched around her and pulled her back in front of him. Despite the horrid turn this conversation had taken, he wasn't really ready to let her leave him just yet. He needed answers from her. Her eyes glittered when she was angry, the way she was pressed against him reignited that burn in his body that made his belly hiss with electricity. It was weird to think that the whole time they'd been shouting at each other, he couldn't help but think how sexy she looked.

Initially, she struggled against him, but he held her firm with far superior strength. He pushed her back and pinned her against the wall of her own house. Those big brown eyes, eyes he could swim in, darted up to his. There was a flicker of uncertainty, but she didn't once push against him with any real fight. He took it as a good sign.

He leaned in until the shadow of his hat enveloped even her face, their noses only centimetres apart. He spoke in a low voice. "Ya kissed me fer a reason, Grace. Why?"

She swallowed thickly. She could only hold his gaze for a moment before she had to look away at something – anything else. "I told you, I was–"

"Don't you be lyin' to me." He pressed. But then his tone, his eyes, his grip, softened. "When you look at me, what'd ya see?"

"I… I don't…"

"You want me. I know it. But I wanna hear you say it." Damn him, he had to know. He stared into her eyes, held her gaze there, refusing to let her go until he had the truth. Not even he noticed how he moved a little closer. "Tell me what ya feel, what ya want from me… Just tell me."

Grace stared up at him, completely at a loss for words. A tight fear gripped her stomach, her heart was in her teeth and pounding in her ears. She wanted time to completely stop, to reverse it to before this conversation and not have to face the consequences of Jake's eyes. He wanted an answer from her and it appeared that he wouldn't relinquish her until she gave him one.

But she didn't want to give it. She didn't even want to acknowledge it. In that moment, she knew herself for a coward. The way her heart flipped, the way her body yearned, the way her blood grew hot, the little smiles, she wanted to deny it all. Her mind protested and erected every wall it could to shield her fragile heart. It was better to pretend it wasn't real, she said to herself. If it wasn't real, then it couldn't hurt her. She told it to herself over and over, but no matter how many times the mantra was repeated, she still knew that it was anything but the truth.

And then, Jake closed the distance between them, and kissed her.

Grace went absolutely rigid. Her mind froze as she attempted to know what the hell was going on. Slowly she felt his lips moving over her own, his tongue swept across her lips begging for entry. Heat set her soul on fire, bliss worked its way over her, more potent than any alcohol. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, her lips fluttered closed, and she dared to feel it.

Instantly, Jake swept his tongue inside her mouth, claiming hers with a hunger that made her body tremble involuntarily. He tilted his head to deepen the kiss, and allowed the passion to rise and engulf them both. He shifted his coils to better grip –

Grace bolted out of his hold before either of them knew what she was doing. She didn't stop until she was back inside her house and she'd slammed the door closed behind her. She leaned against it, her sides heaving, her heart hammering against her chest at such a rate that she thought she'd keel over and die. Absolute terror had overcome her system. In the midst of her euphoria, it had crept up unawares and sprang at her. Tears stung her eyes as she tried not to think about what had happened. Her body shook violently, and it was all she could do to keep herself together.

Outside, Jake glared up at the house. His tongue flickered out. He could taste the fear that had bloomed in the air with such a sudden and violent intensity that it was overpowering now in its potency. It made his scowl deepen, the anger set to new levels.

He didn't go after her. His pride refused to let him beg her. Instead, he turned around and stormed off towards the barn. He knew he wouldn't be sleeping in the house tonight. He slammed the door behind him and shut himself away in darkness.


	23. You and Me

You And Me

 _"_ _A whisper away_

 _From changing everything…_

 _But is it safe to say_

 _Such dangerous things?" – Brantley Gilbert, 'Fall Into Me'_

* * *

Grace sat and shivered at her dressing table. She stared into her mirror without really seeing herself in it. No candles or lanterns had been lit, only the darkness and the moonlight accompanied her in that lonely little room. She'd locked the door hours ago. She knew Jake wasn't the type to storm the castle to take what he wanted, but her irrational fear refused to let her rest until she knew it was locked.

She snorted to herself. What rest? She'd been sat there for hours, unable to sleep, unable to move. Her mind was a chaotic mess that she couldn't even begin to understand even if she wanted to. The images of what had happened outside replayed in front of her mind's eye. She tried to decipher it, to understand it, to try and learn what had happened to her out there and why it made her feel the way she did.

The thought of the kiss made her scales flush and her stomach burn. But at the same time it petrified her. She remembered how she ran from him, how she saw his anger out of the corner of her eye as she fled. Shame made her angry with herself. How dare she do that to him, play him like that! It wasn't fair on him, and not even to herself. Yet her heart had still screamed with terror. How could she be so conflicted about something so simple?

She wanted Jake. She knew that. She'd been too much of a coward to say it to his face, or even to herself, but she wanted him. The feel of his scales, the grip of his coils, that look in his eyes. All of it, she wanted. Just as he'd made it clear that he wanted her. So why was it so difficult?

The answer was simple and made tears of anger and embarrassment sting her eyes. She'd already had her heart broken once before. How could she forget? It haunted her dreams, it was a stigma on her name, a stain on her pride. Benjamin had made her so happy once, a long time ago, and she'd wanted him like she'd wanted Jake, albeit with a different sort of passion. She'd trusted Benjamin implicitly, she'd given him her heart and revolved her world around him. And then he'd walked out, left her, tore up her heart and threw the pieces into the dirt. It'd taken her a while to accept what he'd done, but when it had hit home, it had torn her apart. She couldn't get over it, not even now. And she was determined to never go through the same thing again.

But would it be the same again? In the silence of her room, she deliberated with herself. What would she do? What _could_ she do? After this there would be no way for her and Jake to carry on as they once had. She knew that many people often claimed that they could go back to friendship, but a scorned love was volatile. Grace wasn't fool enough to believe that Jake would be happy staying here after she'd made a fool of him. But at the same time, she wouldn't go out there just to appease him. No. If she was to do this, then she wanted it to be because she _wanted_ to. But what did she want? Did she even deserve to allow herself this happiness?

And what if she did, and Jake broke her heart anyway? What if she put herself out there, gave herself to him and he, being the ruffian outlaw he was, left her in the dust as soon as he grew bored? It made her stomach twist with fear.

And what if he didn't? What if he took her and _didn't_ break her? Grace knew that Jake could be gentle and sincere when he wanted to be. She thought back on all the times they'd shared over the past several weeks. He'd saved her life, he'd protected her and her son, he'd looked out for her boy and her land – far more than even her husband had ever done. And he didn't treat her like a flower, he treated her with respect, and what he believed she deserved. Yes, he was snappish and prone to fits of anger, but he was always honest with her. Would he lie to her now about wanting her?

No, she didn't think he would. He wanted her, and Grace couldn't deny that it felt so good to be wanted by somebody again. And she also couldn't deny… that she wanted this.

She tried to cast aside her inner conflict. If she deliberated with herself for any longer, she'd talk herself out of it. And right now she couldn't afford to be divided. Despite her resolve, she could feel that prickling fear at the edges of her mind. It would take her over again if she wasn't careful.

Hesitantly, she turned the lock in her door and made her way out. Her movements were slow in silent, dark house. It seemed to take an eternity before she reached even her front door. The night air was particularly cold as she stepped outside. She hadn't heard Jake come into the house, so she knew there would only be one place he could be.

A small glow of a lantern light seeped through the crack in the door of the barn. Grace drew closer, and heard the familiar _click-click-click_ of the Gatling Gun turning. For only one moment did she pause to take a deep breath. Her heart was pounding so heavily it hurt her chest. Her one deep breath became several more. Until finally, she pushed open the door and stepped inside.

Jake had his back to her. He turned at the sound of the door creaking. His eyes found hers and he seemed a little surprised to see her. But it was only momentarily, as anger made his pupils thin to mere slits. The red of his eyes seemed fiercer with his ire.

His voice was a low, dangerous hiss. "I'm warnin' ya, woman. Get out."

Despite the fact that he frightened her, she stood firm. "No. I want to talk."

"I ain't in the mood fer this." He snapped. His tail rattled loudly. "Get out or I'm gonna–"

"I want to explain," she interjected quickly before she could think better of it. She came closer, but he only drew himself up higher and towered over her.

"There ain't nothin' to say."

"I shouldn't've run from you like that. It wasn't fair. I'm sorry."

His tail smashed into an empty crate. It flew across the room, smashed into the side of the barn and splintered with a loud _BANG!_ "I told ya before! I don't want yer pity! So turn that ass around, and walk out. 'cause if I have to stand yer shame fer one second–"

"Jake! Please!" she shouted to be heard. He grew silent, though his eyes were fuming and impatient. But her voice was quiet and humble as she stared up into those eyes. "I'm not here to belittle you. I'd never want that."

His eyes narrowed in suspicion but lost their edge ever so slightly. "Then what _do_ ya want?"

"I want you to allow someone to be kind to you. To know that someone thinks about you, cares about you… wants you to…"

She trailed off when he slowly leaned into her. He was so very close, close enough for her to make out each individual fleck in his bright eyes. The look he gave her wasn't gentle, it wasn't romantic. It was guarded and calculating, but it still made her tremble ever so slightly.

"Why did ya run from me?" he asked quietly.

It took her a moment to swallow past the lump in her throat, to force out the truth and admit her shame. "I was scared."

"Of what?"

"That you'd break me…" she croaked. She swallowed again and tried to get back the courage to speak. "You've gone your whole life, not letting anyone get close, so they can't hurt you. I've done the same. I've already been broken once. I-I can't go through that again, I can't–"

"So why're ya here?"

No words could express her answer, not really. She stared at him in silence for the longest heartbeat of her life. Then, ever so slowly, she closed the gap between them. Jake kept perfectly still, but his unblinking eyes never left her. She turned her face to his, and ever so softly, ever so delicately, she placed a tiny kiss upon his cheek. Her eyes closed, her lips lingered.

Jake sprang on her with all the swiftness of a clap of thunder. She felt his coils wrap around her in an instant. An instinct made her own muscles move of their own accord as she wrapped her own body around his. He held her there, his grip tight and dominating, but he cradled her, enveloped her. She could feel his heart bat all around her. His tail was to the side of them, the cold metal of the gun absentmindedly stroked her side. His head loomed above her own, so close there was a mere hairs breadth separating them. But before he could claim her lips with his own he paused. She watched his eyes flicker between hers, doubt on his features.

"Are ya gonna run?" he asked in a husky voice.

"No."

Hesitantly, he leaned in, closer and closer. He pressed his face against hers without kissing her. Yet Grace already felt herself melt into him at his mere touch. She thought it was perhaps the most intimate gesture he'd ever made. She closed her eyes and silently basked in it.

His whisper floated to her right beside her ear. "I'm not gonna break ya…"

"I know…"

"Are ya sure?" she opened her eyes as he leaned back. There was a heat in his eyes that he was holding back from becoming a full fire. It made her insides turn to liquid with need. Yet still his voice held a slight warning. "You give in… and there's no turnin' back."

She didn't need to tell him that she didn't care. No more words could be said. She was the one who answered the only way her body could. She was the one who tilted her head and kissed him. She was the one who ran her tongue along his lips, and devoured his taste when he allowed her entry. And she was the one that allowed her scent to permeate the room, and saw his body stiffen when he recognised the scent of her _want_ of him.

He took her from there. Jake allowed all the hunger and passion he possessed to drive him as he tilted her head and deepened the kiss. Grace moaned into him, and he took it as approval and continued his work. She felt his tongue flick across the roof of her mouth, tickling her. She gasped, only for him to claim her breath was his ever ferocious kiss.

Their lips were bruised and swollen, but Grace didn't think either of them cared. She pushed her chest and neck flush against his, to be nearer his heat. Her coils squeezed his in a rhythm that their bodies set. She felt and heard a growl build in Jake's throat, and heard his tail rattle noisily with his growing excitement.

Suddenly, he broke away from her kiss. But before she could complain, he'd already set his sights on another target. He attacked her neck with equal fervour. Grace moaned, louder this time and tilted her head back so he could have better access. He hummed in approval. He nibbled, kissed, suckled. He devoured her and she was helpless to do anything to stop him. Every movement he made, only added to the liquid fire that poured through her every vein and culminated in her lower regions. Her massage of his body with her own picked up its pace, communicating to him her need.

His tongue flicked out. She felt it, wet, hot and sticky, as it slid over her scales and coated her. She gasped as the saliva quickly turned cold, but it only seemed to add to her own heat. Jake moved down, licking his way along her body with flicks of his forked tongue. By the time he worked his way to her chest she was panting, almost about to come undone. Her body squeezed his a little tighter and she heard him hiss.

A moment later his head was back in front of hers. His fiery stare snatched hold of her gaze, and she found she couldn't look away. Instead she launched herself at his lips. She kissed him roughly, hungrily, all her sense of propriety gone. All she knew was that moment, and the animalistic urge that had overtaken her.

Slowly, she slipped out of his hold. For a second, he growled viciously at the thought of her daring to escape, his coils tightening around her. But she placated him with another kiss. She slipped away from him, and already felt cold without his body around her. There was a thrum, a quiver inside her that grew frantic at the thought of not being unleashed.

Her side was pressed firmly against his as she pulled him with her. She led him to the back of the barn where the hay and stray was at its thickest, and formed a soft mattress for the pair of them. She laid down in it, and gaze back at Jake, her eyes lidded with unconcealed hunger.

Jake did not disappoint her and swept over her. His body crawled over hers but she did not feel crushed. He nuzzled his head beside hers, nose pressed just behind her ear so that she could hear his every breath. His body worked to wrap around hers, until she was firmly held by him.

She turned her head just enough so that she could look at him out of the corner of her eye. She never took her eyes off of him as she lifted her tail and allowed him to take her with everything he had.

Grace didn't know when coherent thought returned to her. All she knew was that she and Jake eventually collapsed into the hay, exhausted, and lost to their throes of passion as the world went dark.


	24. After Glow

After Glow

 _"_ _And other times you gotta take it slow_

 _And hold her all night long_

 _Heaven knows there's so many ways_

 _A man can go wrong…"_ – _Billy Currington 'Must Be Doing Something Right'_

* * *

Grace slowly blinked her eyes open, faintly aware of the brief dawn light that filtered in through the crack in the door. This confused her at first, as her bedroom never caught the sunlight in the morning. Then she recognised that it was the back of her rickety old barn door she was looking at. She felt the familiar scratch of hay and straw tickle her underbelly. Her brows knitted and she tried to figure out what she was doing here.

The fog of sleep cleared away and she remembered everything that happened. Then she felt the warm aches all across her body that were the evidence to support the memories. Something warm shifted beside her. She turned her head and was most surprised to see a wall of gritty deep brown and black scales that encased her. Grace's eyes widened when she then turned to her other side and saw none other than Rattlesnake Jake's head draped across her back, the brim of his hat tipped low to cover his sleeping eyes.

Now there was no question if it had been a dream. This evidence was irrefutable.

In truth, Grace was surprised. For a moment she hadn't thought it'd been real, that she could be so bold as to let the infamous Rattlesnake Jake bed her. But at the same time… she didn't regret a thing. She'd told Jake the truth, and he'd loved her last night the way no man had ever done in a long, long time. She'd never felt more alive. More wanted. And she was not ashamed.

But she _was_ hungry. Her stomach growled a little to let her know that it was fed up with being neglected. The previous night's activities had completely drained her and she needed to replenish. It was only just dawn; Teddy wouldn't be up yet. Breakfast in bed sounded _wonderful_.

Casting one last look at the sleeping rattler on top of her, Grace attempted to slowly slip out from beneath him. Her smooth scales easily slid from his with little sound. Centimetre by centimetre, she attempted to work her way free. She grinned like a child at the thought of succeeding to sneak away from the great outlaw.

The huge coils on either side of her sprang. Grace yelped when they tightened their hold on her, clamped around her body and pulled her back into place. The glossy snake was a little dazed where it had happened so fast. She heard the deep throated hum from the male behind her as he nuzzled his way back to his previous spot.

"Where'd ya think yer goin'?" came his sleep-slurred rumble.

Despite herself, Grace grinned and wriggled herself closer to him still. "Nowhere," she whispered.

* * *

Eventually she did manage to get away from the sleeping viper and make her way back into her house. It was still early morning, but she knew it wouldn't be long before Teddy awoke and came down to start the day.

She could even smell the inappropriate scent of sex on her, as well as Jake's unique musk that clung to her body like a badge of honour. So whilst she set a pot of water to boil for coffee, she quickly popped into the wash room. A little hand-scrub later and she already felt fresher, as well as most of the smell having gone.

Within the next two minutes, she had two coffees ready and roadrunner eggs ready for breakfast on the table. Grace hummed to herself a little tune with words she couldn't remember. A small smile curved her lips and her body bobbed a little to the beat of her song. Bliss had completely taken its toll. As some folks said: the honeymoon goggles were on.

Until they came crashing off…

She heard Jake come into the house but the mere pattern of his hard scales scraping against the ground, and the slight _click-click_ of his gun as it turned lazily. Grace smiled and turned to see him in the doorway of her kitchen. He already had one of the eggs in his mouth and swallowed it down easily.

"I made coffee," she said and picked up her own. She sipped it and stared across the rim of her cup at him with smouldering eyes. "Figured you might need it…"

"Nah." Jake shook his head.

He turned to leave.

Grace frowned and called out a little more sharply than she intended. "Where're you goin'?"

"Patrollin'," he told her simply. His gaze flickered back to her for a brief nod of acknowledgment. "I'll be back by evenin'."

And then he was gone.

Grace stood there staring at the spot where he'd been. Her mouth hung open so far she thought her jaw might hit the floor. She was baffled, completely and utterly clueless as to what had just happened. Jake acted completely normally. He had been civil, by all accounts on a normal day she would've counted that as a great start to the day for them. But that was it. Jake had acted like he would've on any other morning. As if everything was normal. As if nothing had happened between them.

She didn't even hear Teddy come down the stairs and into the kitchen and sit at the table. "Mornin' Momma!" he greeted her cheerily.

Grace didn't hear him. She was still staring at the door.

Teddy frowned and cocked his head. "Momma?"

Her confusion turned to anger in the space of a millisecond as she realised what had happened.

"That lying, twisted, selfish, yellow-bellied, son-of-a half-eaten rat-tramp!"

"Momma!" Teddy gaped.

She didn't even hear him.

The glossy snake was fuming. She'd been played. Conned. She'd even considered it a possibility and never took the threat seriously. He'd made a fool out of her. It became obviously clear in all the little ways that now came back to glare at her right in the face.

 _Make no mistake woman: I don't care if you live or die… If two people like each other then why not just get it out, have their fun and be done with it... It should all be about fulfillin' yer body's needs. A transaction. Both parties win. Nothing else…_

He'd said all those things and so many more. And she'd been fool enough to ignore them and think something else was going on between them. It was so obvious to her now. To Jake this was a casual, one-time thing to satisfy his body's "needs" and she'd been dumb enough to think it'd meant more. He'd deceived her into thinking it. All those words last night had meant nothing. He was clever and devious; she'd known that already. He knew exactly what to say to make her trust him, to make her give herself to him. And now she was furious.

But she was angrier with herself then anything. She should've known better. She should've seen it coming. But she'd ignored all the warnings. Now it was all on her.

For the rest of the day, Grace went about her chores with a frustrated and angry persona. Even her pigs seemed to sense it on her and stayed clear of her when she came in to clean out their pen. When she put down a tool, she practically threw it down to rattle and smash noisily on a surface. When she made any noise it was short and accompanied by an irritable grunt. A permanent scowl constantly accompanied her face.

She'd worked herself up to such a point during her day, that when night finally arrived and Jake waltzed back into the house, she was half tempted to scream at him and kick him out. What made it worse was that the rattlesnake didn't even seem to pick up on her fury from across the room, even when she glared straight at him. Without even sparing a glance at him, let alone a word, she marched Teddy up the stairs once his dinner was eaten and put him to bed.

Being around Teddy calmed her. He reminded her by simply existing that she wasn't a complete failure, that there would always be someone who loved her. It broke her heart with gratitude just to think about it. When her son was finally asleep, she left his room, almost at peace with herself.

But then she saw Jake on the balcony, leaning casually against the wall, and her anger resurged with a vengeance. With a curl of her lip, she marched right past him straight to her own room. She heard Jake follow towards his own room that was right next to hers. For some reason that just made her angrier. With him behind her, he couldn't see her lips peel back from her teeth in a silent snarl, or how close she was to turning back around and launching herself at him.

Yet when she finally reached the claimed sanctuary of her bedroom, she turned to slam the door closed and was surprised to see Jake right behind her. It was enough of a shock to make her pause with confusion.

"Wh-what're you doing?" she demanded.

"What's it look like?" a subtle smirk hinted at the corners of his lips as he pushed past her into her room.

Grace immediately panicked as she watched the man she currently hated slither his way into her private room. "Jake! What on earth are you doing in here?!"

"If you want us back out in the barn, I'll be happy to oblige. Just thought ya might want somewhere more comfortable this time."

" _This_ time?!" she almost shrieked with indignation. "You've got some nerve! You aren't getting another drop of satisfaction out of me!"

"What you talkin' bout?"

"Get out!"

Jake's brows lowered into a scowl, and his eyes blazed. "I warned ya, woman. Last night. There ain't–"

"You think I give a crap about what you said after the shit you've pulled?!"

"What?"

"If you think I'm gonna be your little bit of sugar on the side, you can think again!" The emotions were becoming too much. She felt them sting the back of her eyes and she quickly turned away from him with gritted teeth. " _Damn_ it, Jake! You said you wouldn't… and I actually… _argh_!"

There was a long silence, Grace just screwed her eyes shut and wallowed in seething self-pity and despair. Jake was silent, and it only made her feel worse. For the first time that day, she wished she could turn back the clock by a day and erase everything she'd ever done. She never thought her life could reach a new low, but apparently she'd achieved it.

And then, finally, Jake spoke with the audacity to sound relieved. "You crazy ass woman. _This_ is what you've got yerself worked up on?"

"I don't need you to mock me." She spat over her shoulder.

"You got it into yer head I was playin' ya, didn't ya."

"Correct me if I'm wrong."

"Yer wrong."

Grace spun back to face him, her own eyes enflamed with anger. "I beg your–"

He was right there, looming over her, his nose inches from hers. "Did ya not hear me when I said there's no going back? Or was ya a little… distracted at the time?"

Grace couldn't understand what was happening. What did he mean? He didn't seem angry with her anymore, nor did he appear guilty. His odd choice of words in the latter half of their conversation suddenly struck her as odd. But even as the pieces fell into place, her mind couldn't comprehend them, as if it denied the hope that it could be true.

"But-but then–"

He chuckled and inched his way closer. His voice dropped into a deep-throated rumble that made her flesh quiver. "I'm all in on this thing. After last night there's no way I'm lettin' that go so eaily."

His coils slowly wrapped around her and pulled her close until she was practically flush against him. She could feel his body heat, her tongue could taste his want in the air around him. Her own traitorous body responded to him with such rapidness it was frightening. Even now, her every molecule was on fire with need, thirsting for more. She tried to resist, to keep a level head, to discover what was really happening.

Jake trailed his tongue up her neck to the corner of her jaw. He paused there and whispered in her ear: "Yer mine, Grace Glossy. Ya best get used to it."

"Don't I get a say in this?"

"Sure." He pulled back and smirked at her. "On the floor or the bed?"

Some part of her wanted to shove him away out of mere principle. But then, the fleeting joy at learning the truth, and her own quickening desire refused to be ignored. In the end she threw aside everything and just launched herself at his lips. "God _damn_ you, Jake…"

They crashed together, lips locking, tongues duelling. Their bodies wrapped around each other as the pulled and rubbed and massaged the other. Grace feverishly threw away Jake's black hat and unbuckled his bullet belts. Why did he have so many of them? Jake's teeth made short work of her black-lack choker, and it set her inner need to new heights when she saw him pull back with it dangling between his teeth.

Grace traced her tail along Jake's, their lower regions brushing dangerously close. Jake hissed and quickly set to work lapping his tongue along her body. Grace panted as she felt him work his way down, and out of impulse in the heat of the moment, she returned the favour. Jake bolted up at the feel of her tongue on his scales. There was something almost mad in his gaze as he practically shoved her down and clambered on top of her. Grace eagerly met him every step of the way.

They never made it to the bed the first time around. Whether they made it there for the second or third time, Grace wasn't sure. But she was sure happy for the soft feel of the pillows when her eyes finally closed.

* * *

Two weeks went by on the farm, and Grace thought that she was in a heap of bliss. The days blurred together, but she didn't seem to mind. She had her farm, her son and now a man in her life who had no problems with making her happy. Though they were not a very public couple – that had been the problem after the first night. Jake was a man who didn't believe in broadcasting his private life to the world, he just did things as they came. Grace was his, no doubt about that, and he would be sure to assert that claim should anyone even think of saying otherwise. But he otherwise didn't stroll down the street on Sundays with her, or buy her bouquets of flowers. Instead he showed his appreciation and slight affection in other, _subtler_ ways. It would be with a look in his warm eyes, or a slight crooked smile, or the way he would easily come up to her and just stand beside her.

Though it was discreet, it did not go unnoticed. Teddy watched the way his mother acted around the legendary rattlesnake, and how said rattlesnake acted around her. He saw it, plain as day. And the young boy never failed to grin triumphantly.

But that didn't mean to say the pair had a relationship built on rainbows and unicorns. Far from it. Grace was a grown woman; she knew that no realistic relationship would ever be conflict-free. So she was prepared for the teething process that came with being with Jake. They had to try and figure out how being together worked.

Jake was possessive and rough and sometimes selfish. He had a bad mouth and even worse temper, and it seemed that not a single day passed when the two didn't have at least one small argument over something. But he also had to put up with Grace's faults as well. She refused to be pushed around by him, disobeyed him at almost every turn, refused to be seen as his plaything, and sometimes tried to dig at him just because she could. It was a very slow progression for the pair of them.

But despite that, they learned rather quickly. As adults, they both knew what they wanted, and knew that it wasn't coming without hard work from both of them. Grace found that Jake, despite his foul moods, could be sincere and was always truthful. He never sugar-coated anything, and treated her like an adult by giving her his brutal honesty. Grace as well, learned to be more lenient towards his behaviour, and never pushed him to belittle himself. She gave him the opportunity to make up for his own shortcomings in his own ways without addressing the issues. To which, she knew he was thankful. And she fulfilled the almost-promise she'd once made, and was exclusive to Jake, giving him everything she had and more.

Because, if Grace was honest, the rewards of the relationship totally outmatched the flaws. Despite Jake being an outlaw, he was good to her. He never touched her in an aggressive manner, they respected one another, and they gave each other peace. Their lives were not chaotic and they both treated the farm as their safe haven, with Grace's room (now _their_ room seeing as how Jake had practically moved into it) as their little love-nest. Their intimacies were always spectacular. Grace had never been more physically fulfilled, and if he were honest, Jake honestly thought he'd struck gold. The glossy snake was everything he expected and so much more.

Grace even found out why Jake had the urge to use his tongue on her every time they mated. It brought a blush to her cheeks to even think about it. But after one night, she asked Jake why he did it. He simply told her that it was a rattlesnake thing. A male made the female receptive by licking her body. Grace didn't complain about it. After all, she enjoyed it _very_ much.

When all was said and done, Grace knew that she hadn't felt this happy in a long time. And she was going to enjoy it, for however long it lasted.

One afternoon, right as the sun was dipped low over the horizon ready to kiss the far off landscape, Grace heard Teddy shout for her. "Momma! Momma!"

Stood with a bucket of gruel to feed her pigs, Grace quickly dropped it and raced to find her son. Since Bad Bill's little visit, she'd always been on the edge when letting Teddy outside. She rounded the back of the house, and didn't even question Jake's presence when he came out of the barn and followed her. The pair of them came close to one of the back pens, where they found Teddy coiled on the ground, his back to them and hunched over something in his lap.

"Teddy? What's wrong?" Grace asked worriedly.

Her son turned as if he only just noticed the two adults there. An excited grin broke across his face. "Momma! Look! Look what I found!"

He held up something in the end of his tail. Grace narrowed her eyes. In Teddy's grip was a large chunk of gold. It was dirtied and chipped but it was definitely there, glimmering in the sunlight. Grace hesitantly reached out and gently took it from her son. With Jake looking over her shoulder she examined the precious metal, her mind whirling with thoughts as the pieces began to fall together.

"Teddy, where'd you find this?" she asked.

"Dug it up."

He moved aside to reveal the small hole he'd dug amidst a few rocks laid into the ground. The whole wasn't that deep, so clearly this gold had been waiting close to the surface. Grace felt her face turn pale as she realised what all this meant.

"This is what he wants…" she murmured quietly, and turned to face Jake. She looked up at him, clearly distressed, her eyes wide, her body trembling ever so slightly. "There's gold beneath my home – I mean, I suspected there was. But, this… Dufayel wants to tear up my daddy's farm for this…"

Jake saw how each new thought was only furthering to cause the woman to become more upset. He pushed his head in front of hers, so that his bright red and yellow fiery eyes were all she could see. In the usual Jake-fashion, he was not gentle or soothing. But he was truthful.

"I ain't letting them do nothin'," he promised her fiercely. "Yer stuck with me, woman, so I ain't gonna let that jumped-up rat do nothin' to ya."

He would've said how he would kill Dufayel before the fox even got close to taking her farm from her. But he knew that despite their new-found relationship, Grace still didn't approve of that. So he left it unsaid. But from what he did say, Grace smiled softly, and leaned her head against his, just basking in the comfort of his presence. They didn't let the touch linger. They never did outside of the bedroom, there alone was where the affectionate side of their relationship was shown. And by the way Jake looked at her as he disengaged from her, she knew there would be plenty of it later.

* * *

Two weeks Dufayel had waited. Two weeks and not a single word had he heard to lighten the situation. He drained his glass of Brandy and looked out of the window, his eyes narrowed to ever growing furious slits. The situation was becoming desperate. He couldn't stand the wait for much longer. The headaches were becoming more frequent as the stress began to mount.

Damn him. Damn Tortoise John, Dufayel thought in a silent curse. If that damned reptile had never approached him with that business proposition, if he'd never asked the fox to invest… he wouldn't be here. As it was, Dufayel needed to reclaim the rewards of this business transaction. He simply couldn't afford not to.

He strolled over to his desk and refilled his brandy.

If he lost this investment, there'd be nothing left. He couldn't do that. Nothing on earth would force him to be reduced to that. He wouldn't allow it!

He downed the brandy in one gulp.

The door swung open, and the fox almost startled as he spun to see who had dared disturb him. He was partly relieved, annoyed and infuriated to see none other than the mongoose, Mon Hellsing stroll into his office, a grin on his face.

"Where have you been?" Dufayel growled.

Hellsing reached back behind him through the door, his grin unwavering. "Peter 2:4 – 'For God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved to judgment;'"

And then he hauled a body into the office.

It was a snake, wrapped up in a pair of human handcuffs to stop him wriggling away. The snake whimpered pathetically when his chin smacked on the floor. Dufayel studied him. He was a gopher snake, his body yellow with dark brown spots like leopard print, but more organised. His head was completely brown from his crown to his nose, but his jaw was as yellow as his belly. The male snake wore an old, stained, moth-eaten red tie about his neck. His lip was split open and one of his deep black eyes was bruised and swollen. Other marks decorated his body as testament of the treatment he'd received from Hellsing, and Dufayel attempted to not be too irritated.

He already felt the need for another drink, but decided to hold off until he was finally alone again.

" _Monsieur_ Hares?" the fox asked in as polite a voice as he could manage. He'd once been complimented to be able to persuade a tortoise out of its shell, and whilst he hadn't had an opportunity to do _exactly_ that, he'd be damned if he wasn't going to come close to that potential.

Benjamin Hares groggily looked about, and instantly became fearful. He coiled up as close to himself as his restrained body would allow. His lip trembled. "L-look! Whoever you are! If this is about Afriedo's money – I got it! I just need a little–"

"That will not be necessary." Dufayel raised a hand to silence the man's hysterical rambling. He nodded his head towards the snake's wounds, his ears flattened with false regret. "I apologise for my employee's lack of delicacy of this situation, but I have a few questions for you, _monsieur._ "

Hares hesitated, but when Hellsing crushed his boot onto his tail, the snake became frantic. He thrashed, and almost lost to his panic, he because wild, and would've attacked blindly had he been free. Dufayel took careful note of that.

Hellsing struggled to keep the Gopher under control, and kicked him in the side, even as the man whined and screeched. "Nah! I ain't got nothin' to say! Get off me! I don't have nothin'!"

Finally, Dufayel snapped loudly and impatiently. "You have everything, _monsieur_ Hares, if you are willing to take it."

The pair stopped. Benjamin Hares stared at Dufayel, confused but there was a spark on intrigue. The fox knew it would be there. Every salesman had it.

"Huh?"

"You are a married man, or so I've heard, _non_?"

Hares tried to look anywhere but at Dufayel. "I… I don't know what yer talkin' bout."

"Do not take me for a fool, _monsieur_ Hares." Dufayel said with a hard voice. "You'll find that these days I am not a patient man."

To emphasise the point, Hellsing punched the snake in the side of his unsuspecting jaw. " _Ah_! Why'd you do that?!"

"Is nothin' better then what you leechin' scum deserve." The mongoose sneered. "As the good word of the Lord said. Micah 7:17 – 'They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee.'"

"Alright! Alright!" Benjamin screeched when it looked like Hellsing might hit him again. "Yes! I was married once, but that was years ago."

" _Monsieur_ Hares…" Dufayel grinned. "What would you say if I were to offer you a deal?"


	25. Surprise

**Author's Note: Sorry it's been ages people! Life is so much stress right now! Anyways, I thought I would give you this lovely chapter, and also tell you that after this, we will be getting back slowly towards the plot and towards the third act. Don't worry its not yet, but its coming soon.**

 **A warning for this chapter: Swear-words galore, simply because I have potty mouth. And scenes of a sexual nature are mentioned or alluded to.**

 **Please don't forget to review!**

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 **MMM: The reason my story doesn't appear straight away on the Rango archive, is because the rating has switched to 'M'. On fanfiction, when you click on an archive, they only show stories rating K-T at first. You have to click the setting "all ratings" on the filters in order to get all the stories in the archive. Hope that clears up any confusion.**

 **BelgicaeLupu: I apologise that I haven't responded to this before now. But I wanted to say a massive thank you for your support and lovely words of encouragement! It makes my day to see that my work has affected someone like you as it has done. I'm honoured that you would choose to write a review for my story. As I know a lot of people don't usually do that.**

* * *

Surprise

 _"_ _I've been thinking 'bout this all day long_

 _Never felt a feeling quite this strong_

 _I can't believe how much it turns me on_

 _Just to be your man…" Josh Turner, 'Your Man'_

* * *

It'd started off so simple. So how in hell did it get screwed up so fast?

Jake asked himself that same question as he waited in the shadows beneath a pile of stones heaped by an old rusted truck in the middle of the desert. He was supposed to be on business, but his mind wouldn't focus and it was getting on his nerves. A heat was passing through his scales, though it was nothing to do with the sun. Every time his coils shifted, he felt a little uncomfortable in his… nether regions. It wasn't painful, as such, it was just certain _urges_ wouldn't leave themselves alone.

"Hey, handsome."

The voice had Jake's eyes snapped up to the speaker. His tail rattled and he hissed. Delilah practically jumped back away from him, scared he'd lunge for her. Jake controlled the impulse and scolded himself. He never let anyone sneak up on him, especially not other outlaws like this. What was with him today?

"Jesus-fucking-Christ, Jake!" Delilah shrieked indignantly. "You got your panties in a twist, then go take it out on the local rodent population – not me!"

"Don't mouth off at me, damn-woman." Jake grumbled. He tried to look calm and in control, even when his skin was itching and he felt the need to be _somewhere_ other than here. He pressed on the bobcat before him, "What you found?"

She leaned onto one foot, hands across her hips as she pouted those bright red lips of hers. "You need to get back."

"Why?"

"The Court, that's why. It's going to shit." Her ear twitched and she looked about with those wide gold-green eyes. Jake looked as well, when the two outlaws were certain no one was around, Delilah leant in closer. "There's been talk about taking your place – what with you gone so long and all."

Jake felt a furious hiss escape his throat. He knew just who to blame for that. "Let me guess… Irvin Worst."

"He was the most _vocal_."

Of course he would be. Irvin Worst was a black collared lizard, and also known as "the fire breather". He had also been Jake's most prominent rival in the Gunslinger Court. Jake allowed him in because he was a good arsonist and fit to the rules. But the outlaw tested the boundaries one too many times. And this time, Jake wasn't in the mood for it. He wanted to kill the son of a bitch.

"That boy's been itchin' ta get one over on me fer years. He talks a load of bullshit, Delilah. You know that."

"Bullshit or not, he's trouble. He's tryin' to convince others that you need to be taken down. Says he's even got good money."

"He ain't had a good score in months. How's he got this?" Jake thought aloud to himself. He focused on the dusty ground, trying to think through and figure this out. But the colour of the sand… it reminded him of scales coiled around his, the same colour when in the lamp light. The jolting thought was enough to snap him out of whatever he'd gotten into, and with a growl of frustration he pushed himself back to the situation at hand. "Find out."

"Sure thing."

"And don't be getting' no ideas about his money."

"Please, sugar." Delilah scoffed. "I may be a murderous criminal, but I ain't stupid. Plus, takin' money from Irvin Worst would mean I'd have to suffer him staring at my tits. I'd rather screw an exhaust-pipe."

That kind of comment only drove Jake's already distracted mind to further off places. He remembered glossy coils wrapped tightly around his, a moan, a plea for more, a furious kiss. His coils bunched beneath him with want at the memory, and caused him slight pain from his sudden readiness. The hiss he wanted to expel was suppressed.

This was ridiculous. Why couldn't he focus on other things? Why did he so badly need to rush back to Grace's farm and recreate these memories that were doing all sorts of things to his body? It was causing him to make very out-of-character slip ups, and it was getting on his nerves. What was wrong with him? He wasn't usually like this. Once he had his fill for a night and agood rest, he was level headed the next day. So why couldn't he now keep his urges down? Had Grace cast some sort of bewitchment on him? The feverish thought made him mad as all hell.

But he still had work to conclude. So tightly asked, "And Reth?"

"He thinks he's found Ramirez," replied Delilah. "Wanted me to tell you he'll be silent for a fair while until he gets back."

Jake rounded on her, eyes furious. "I thought I told you two not to be stupid!"

"We're not. Reth's a big boy, he can take care of himself. As I recall, he's older than you. Rare in our profession."

"You go and find him and drag his ass back here. If he don't come back alive, I'm gonna shoot you right through those trashy red-lips of yers!"

"Ouch." Came the bob-cat's stony reply as she glared up at the rattler before her. "Jake I usually don't give a damn what you do, or _who_ you doin'. You been good to me, and for that reason I won't shoot your ass for that comment. If your so twisted over this, get yourself out of that hovel and get Reth yourself."

Jake forced himself to calm down. It would do him no good to get mad at Delilah when he still needed her cooperation right now. "I might have to. But not until the job's done."

"You still watchin' that sweet-thing?" She quirked a brow, apparently all forgiven. She pouted her lips and Jake had the possessive urge to smack it off. "Shame. Wouldn't've minded a roll with you a time or two… _big-daddy_ …"

"Get goin'!" he snapped.

She jumped to attention, as if she were a child caught daydreaming. "Yes sir."

And just like that, the cut turned and was gone.

Jake kept his eye out for hawks. And all that time his mind was still plagued with thoughts of another woman his body was telling him he desperately needed. He waited until he was sure that there were none of those pests in the sky, and then began to make his furious way back across the desert towards Grace's farm.

He didn't know what Grace had done, but if she had indeed bewitched him with some sort of weakness, he wasn't happy about it. The more he thought about it, the madder he got. Until when he eventually came back to the farm in early evening, he was fuming. He stormed into the home, intent on shouting and demanding the cursed woman to tell him what on earth she'd done to him.

But then he made his way into the kitchen, and stopped. She stood over the stove, her back to him, long coils draped across the ground, the end of her tail stirred a spoon in a pot. Jake became fixated on the slender form of her body, the way a vein throbbed along her throat. When she turned her head slightly to look at him, her hooded brown eyes caught him in their seductive pull. At that moment, Jake forgot all of his anger, and realised just how badly he wanted her right then and there.

"Good," she said with a bright smile. "Your home. I was about to call Teddy for dinner."

Jake had to wait. It was a great challenge, but he still had to wait. He had to wait through dinner, with Teddy attempting to talk animatedly to the pit-viper about his day, even though he wasn't really listening. He had to wait through mother and son doing their chores to clean up after dinner. Then he had to wait some more when Grace took Teddy upstairs to bed. For all that time, Jake couldn't keep his eyes off of Grace for very long, or stop his mind from wandering to very vulgar places.

And then, finally, his moment came. Grace came back down the stairs, a tired smile on her face as she joined him in the kitchen. She slithered right past him to the sink. Jake made sure to keep his movements as silent as possible as he straightened and followed her.

"He took forever to get to sleep," she was saying as she reached for a pan with her tail to clean. "Wouldn't stop going on about Pricilla and what he wants to do when they next go play. I never thought I'd get away."

He brought his mouth right beside her ear and rumbled quietly. "I'm glad you did."

She gasped and spun to face him. It was a shock to have him so close he was suddenly pushing against her front so that her back was trapped against the sink. He heard her quick intake of breath, felt her heartbeat begin to quicken with excitement, saw the way her pupils got wider for him. Her mouth was slightly open and he devoured it. He kissed her hard and deep. She moaned into him and their forked tongues duelled.

Eventually she broke off to breathe, no matter how loudly Jake growled at the interruption. "What was that for?"

"Fer makin' me want ya, woman." He told her huskily. "I ain't been able to get ya out of my head _all_ day… You don't know how many bad things I've been thinkin' up fer ya."

"Jake!" she gasped. "We'll be heard–"

Stretching out his long body, his tail reached across the kitchen and flicked the lock on the door. The metal of his gun 'clacked' against the key, making the noise all the louder to signify their complete isolation. There was no way Jake was going to let anyone disturb this.

She moaned louder when his tongue drifted further down her chin to her neck. Realising the noise, she tried to clamp her jaws shut to stifle the noise. Jake wasn't having that. He wanted to hear her plead for him. So he kissed her again and his coils wrapped around her body. She responded in kind and squeezed him. His already frustrated body was almost on the razor's edge as it was and it made him hiss with want and pain at the denial. With that noise his fangs almost flashed out.

Grace gasped and stared. Jake growled in annoyance and folded them back into his mouth. He had to remember to be very careful. It drove him nuts sometimes. But this time, Grace shook her head.

She reached up with the tip of her tail to lightly trace curve at the hinge of his jaw. "No… let me see them…"

Jake didn't know if the woman had lost her senses with passion. She'd never been too keen on his fangs with a sober mind. But part of him was very curious. Slowly, he opened his mouth as wide as it could go and unhooked both his long and lethal fangs.

Grace's eyes widened slightly at the sight of them. But she did not draw away from him. In fact, her bodily massage of him only grew a little tighter, which caused him to show all kinds of exercise in restraint. Slowly, she came forward, and Jake made himself extremely still.

Her lips puckered and she kissed his top lip. Her eyes closed over and her mouth slid down to his gum. He heard a slight aroused hiss as she opened her mouth and her black tongue crept its way out of her mouth. Jake almost jolted when he felt her tongue wrap around his left fang and gently slide all the way down to the thin and sleek edge to the deadly tip. Her tongue flicked against the roof of his mouth as she drew away and licked her own lips for him.

Jake didn't hold back as he slammed into her. He crushed her lips against his, used his coils already wrapped around her to turn her so that her back was pressed against his chest. Pinned against the kitchen sink, she could do nothing but plead with him as he showed all of those naughty thoughts that had not left his mind all day.

* * *

The next morning, Grace and Jake awoke earlier than anyone else in the desert. It was just before the crack of dawn when they awakened and as one reached for each other. The night was their time for more 'adult' activities, before anyone else could awaken and so they were not disturbed. That morning, Jake and Grace made love, slow and sweet. Quite different from their usual passion-filled mornings that set them in the mood for the day.

But Grace wasn't complaining in the slightest. In that morning's afterglow, she didn't think she'd been happier. She had her home, and her son. And here was a man that ravished her and seemed to show affection, the likes of which she never would've guessed. Grace thought her heart could burst. Could she dare to call it… love? Would it ruin everything if she even admitted that to herself?

She didn't worry about it. She concentrated only on Jake as he finished having his way, she already having been satisfied many times over long before now. She had to give Jake credit, for a gritty gunslinger who seemed to be getting on to middle-age, he surely had plenty of stamina.

Yet this morning was different. Usually Jake would lick her clean from head to tail, and with it wipe away his scent from her scales. It was a lovely cool-down that mirrored the heat-inducing start he always enacted when they were physically intimate. But today, he didn't. Today he merely lay beside her when he was done, head nuzzled into the back of her neck.

"If you don't get to cleaning me," she murmured, exhausted. "I'll have to do it myself."

He chuckled and whispered, "Don't."

"But I'll stink of you all day if I don't."

"Exactly." She could practically hear self-satisfied smug smirk. "I want it there, so that anyone with half a nose can know who ya belong to."

Despite herself, Grace grinned. That sense of belonging that was something she didn't even realise she wanted until she had it. To her, that was Jake saying those accursed three little words without actually needing to say them. And that was all she needed. She turned to face the rattlesnake behind her and kissed him.

* * *

Later that morning, the trio made their way into town. Teddy broke away from the adults almost straight away – with his mother calling after him to be careful. The little snake was in too much of a good mood to listen as he raced over to where Pricilla and her friends sat chucking stones at a can ten paces away.

"What's got you all riled up?" Pricilla asked.

Teddy puffed his chest out proudly. "My momma's gonna marry Mr Jake!"

All the other children gaped. "Really?!"

"Don't know," he shrugged. "But they been doin' a lot of things together. My Momma's practically wearin' him as a perfume today."

"Mortdecai!" Pricilla turned and hit the child next to her. "You owe me two bug's wings!"

"Oh, man!" the child whined.

"Cough 'em up. Blood and all."

As for the adults, they met on the other side of town, outside the Sheriff's office with Rango and Beans. Grace and Jake had been called over because Rango wanted them present and to give their opinions on their current problem. Rango had just received words from the town attorney about their chances in a court-room. Apparently they weren't looking good.

"Dufayel legally owns the land, nobody's payin' him rent or mortgage to live there and he's given tenants ample room to vacate." Rango recited what the attorney had told him. He scratched his head underneath his hat, a look of distress crossing his features. "By all rights, the law's on his side."

Beans frowned. "What about the attacks from the mercenaries?"

"Can't prove it was all tied to him."

Grace gulped. Wasn't it not a few hours ago that she'd been thinking life was perfect? Now she was reminded of this hanging over her head. It brought everything crashing back to reality.

"There's no need fer this," Jake snapped irritably. "Let me go after him, Sheriff."

"Then we'd all be done for murder, Jake!" Rango snapped back.

"I am one. In case ya hadn't noticed."

"So that's it?" Grace asked bleakly. "We can't win the court case. Then what do we do when Dufayel comes to claim the land?"

"He won't make his move." Beans shook her head. "He don't have my ranch or your farm yet. He needs that if he's gonna be mining the dirt out right from underneath us."

Jake shot the desert iguana a look. "Ya sure about that, woman? Man'll do anything if he's got good cause."

Rango snapped his fingers, obviously having not heard a single word from any of the others. "Maybe we could appeal on the grounds of sanctuary?"

"Appeal to have him hanged!" Beans snapped furiously. "That monster might own our lands but he don't own us, and he don't own them there mines!"

For some reason that made Grace pause and think. If Dufayel owned the lands above, did he own the lands below?

"Might I have a word?"

All four looked up. Grace froze. Rango and Beans frowned. Jake glared.

A stranger stood before them. Long and thin, his body was yellow with dark brown spots like leopard print, but more organised. His head was completely brown from his crown to his nose, but his lower jaw was as yellow as his belly. He wore an old, stained, moth-eaten red tie about his neck and a toothpick stuck out of the corner of his mouth.

Jake didn't like the look of the stranger one bit. Instinctively, he puffed up his sides and his metallic tail began to rattle a warning. Even Rango and Beans were looking at the newcomer suspiciously.

"Yer in the wrong place, boy." Jake snapped out. He didn't feel threatened, as such, but it riled him up to know that there was a male snake right now within eyesight of _his_ woman. Jake had never really been possessive before, his other companions had been hookers after all. But something about this one rubbed him the wrong way. Maybe it was the nervous twitch in his eye.

"Nah, I'm definitely in the right place," the newcomer snipped right back.

"Can I help you, sir?" Rango asked as he stepped forward.

"Nah, Sheriff," said the snake. "I didn't come to talk to you."

Beans stepped up beside Rango, her gun in her hands and slowly rising upwards. "Who are you?"

"His name…" came a strangled voice. Everyone turned to look at Grace and noticed how still as stone she was, how pale she had suddenly become. Her eyes were wide and frightened and staring at the stranger. "His name… is Benjamin Hares."

Jake's eyes widened and he spun back around to stare at this snake – not just any snake, a gopher snake. He couldn't believe it. It couldn't be!

Grace seemed as shocked as everyone else as she choked out the fatal words: "He's my husband."


	26. Legally Bound

**A/N: Please go check out the song for this chapter! It literally sums up Grace and her situation in this chapter PERFECTLY! Plus, I can't stop listening to it.**

 **Also, please check out the TV Tropes page. It's awesome.**

* * *

Legally Bound

 _"_ _Now here I am trying to make sense of it all_

 _We were best friends now we don't even talk_

 _You broke my heart_

 _Ripped my world apart…" Kellie Pickler – 'Didn't You Know How Much I Loved You'_

* * *

Benjamin grinned. "It's nice to see you, Gracie."

" _Gracie_?" questioned several voices at once, most notably Jake's, who's was the loudest and angriest of the bunch.

He fixed Benjamin with a murderous glare, his metallic tail rattled loudly and shrilly. "Ya got a lot o' nerve comin' round here, boy. Turn around and walk away, before I–"

"What're you doing here, Benjamin?" Grace's hard voice cut across the group like a cold frost.

Jake threw her an incredulous look. "Why you askin' him?"

Benjamin smiled, the toothpick between his teeth was flicked over to stick out of the other side of his mouth. Almost as if he were trying to impress someone, his tail came to straighten his bad tie. He attempted to slither towards her. Grace immediately stiffened, and Jake planted half his coils directly in his path. The two males exchanged a look. Jake noticed how fidgety and almost easily insulted this guy seemed to get. Just from this, the snake's thunderous expression looked fit to explode.

Grace cleared her throat loudly, and Benjamin re-directed his attention to her, an overly charming smile plastered on his face. Though when his tongue flickered out, his expression twitched into something a little harder. He frowned.

"You look good, Gracie. You been doing well for yourself. Though I admit, I had hoped ya wouldn't be acting all… _indiscreet._ " He bit off the word with a glare in Jake's direction. "Ya should be careful. People can smell things so easily sometimes. It doesn't usually look good."

Grace's jaw stiffened, and she cast her eyes away from Benjamin. The tightening of her coils and the way she dipped her head, made it appear as if she were ever so slightly ashamed at his words. Jake rattled his tail again, his fangs begged to pop out and sink into something.

He cocked his Gatlin Gun and pointed it straight for Benjamin's head. "Ya got three seconds before I run yer ass outta town. Or better yet, give me an excuse to blow yer freakin' head off."

"Is this what you do, Mr Rattlesnake? Bully good people for no reason? I just want to talk to my _wife_." He put extra emphasis on the last word. It was enough to make Jake's eye twitch, but nothing else.

Instead, he smirked. "What ya gonna do about it if I don't want'cha to?"

"I can take care o' myself."

"Then yer stupid as well as a fool." An old part of Jake, one that delighted in discovering everything that made a person tick and exploiting it, came to the fore. He raised his body high, giving the subconscious impression that he was much larger than in reality, and pushed his head forward into Benjamin's space. "Ya play the clever stick, but we know better. Don't we, boy?"

Benjamin scowled. The end of his tail began to curl and uncurl like a fist. He made a nod of his head in Grace's direction. "Better than an old man prancin' around in with somethin' that don't belong to him."

"Huh," Jake gave a mirthless chuckle. "Then which on o' us is all over her right now?"

"Ya got no right–"

"Yeah, I don't. But I'm still gonna enjoy this." Jake grinned, being sure to show his sharp teeth. Angry, Benjamin's head began to puff out and triangulate to make it look more like a viper's. His tail swept across the ground so fast that it mimicked a rattling sound. Jake just laughed and pushed his gun almost under the Gopher's chin. "Yer little trick don't work on me ya yellow-belly varmint. Now I'm gonna put a nice hole through the dick on yer head, right between yer eyes."

Benjamin let loose a serpentine hiss, and swung his tail as if he meant to strike Jake. The rattler was faster, jaws opening wide to reveal his fully revealed fangs –

"Jake!"

The shout cracked like a whip. Both serpents stopped min-attack, and looked over to Grace. Her eyes were closed, but her expression was furious. When she opened her eyes, she was glaring at them both. Her focus shifted to Benjamin, and Jake seemed to know what she was going to do before she did it. He stared at her in outrage, demanding that she not do this. She either didn't see him, or completely ignored him.

"Ben. I'd like to speak with you. _Privately_."

"Grace!" Jake snapped. "Don't ya dare–"

"Not _now_ , Jake."

She led the way around the back of the Sheriff's office and into an alley. Benjamin smirked smugly as he slithered right past Jake with a satisfied murmur: "If ya'll excuse me."

Jake watched them leave. His sides were heaving with the force needed to help control his anger. Utter fury coursed through him, along with a bitter and murderous feeling that Jake knew to be jealousy. It infuriated him to see that bastard so close and smug with himself as he slithered after Grace, and how she didn't just kick him out right then and there.

The rattlesnake's fury was too much to suddenly bare. He couldn't stick around here, the anger would only fester until it made him explode – or kill something. So, with a snarl, he stormed off.

Rango watched him go, clearly at a loss for what to do. Just when they needed it the least, trouble came knocking.

Pain exploded on the side of his head, causing the Sheriff to yelp loudly and clutch a hand to his head.

"Rango!" Beans exclaimed. "Are you okay?"

The chameleon noticed a stone seemingly wrapped in paper at his boot. It hadn't been there a moment ago. He looked up, and spotted a shadowed figure in the alleyway across the main street. It grinned and showed malicious teeth glinting from the gloom. The familiar silhouette of Ramirez chuckled to himself, before slinking away and out of sight.

"Rango?" Beans asked persistently.

"Yeah, Beans, don't worry, I'm alright." He eventually told her with a smile.

Beans didn't seem entirely convinced, but after a moment realised that there was nothing to be done. He wasn't bleeding and didn't appear to be troubled. She shrugged and began to walk away. Before he could follow her, Rango stooped down and hastily picked up the rock on the floor. Carefully, he pulled the paper away and revealed scribbled words in half-dry ink.

 _'_ _The canyon. Tomorrow. Come alone.'_

* * *

"I gotta admit, Gracie, you always were a trouble-magnet. How else'd ya get with me?"

Benjamin's grin was quickly wiped right off when Grace suddenly stopped and turned on him. Her expression was beyond what could be described as 'rage'. It was the very definition of mind-numbing fury.

She just couldn't believe it. After ten years, Benjamin was here? No warning, no reason, just appeared out of the blue? It was too much. Confusing, hurtful, maddening, hate-inducing. Seeing him again had opened a yawning pit that ached deep in her chest and swallowed her stomach whole. It physically hurt to be near him because of all the emotions and questions that burned through her mind.

But she refused to show him how he'd made her feel. She didn't want to give him the satisfaction that he'd gotten through to her. So instead, she adopted a superior sense of cold calmness.

Her voice was like ice when she spat out, "What are you doing here, Benjamin?"

"Benjamin?" he snorted. "You sound like my old man. Whatever happened to Bennie and Gracie? Two young spitfires against the world?"

"One of us grew up. The other just upped and left."

"You know it weren't like that. Don't make me feel that way." He snipped quickly. Then his expression softened. "Come on, Gracie. You know there weren't one day I weren't thinking about you."

"You weren't apparently thinking about me on _that_ day. Were you?"

"What do ya want me to say? That I'm sorry? Baby, you know I am."

"I want you to tell me why you're here."

He sighed, and looked at her. His eyes were so full of concern that Grace almost thought it was real. "I heard what's been going on. You honestly think I wouldn't come back to check on you when I heard you got in trouble?"

"I got in trouble plenty of times. You never showed up then."

"This time's different." His eyes became hard. She was frustrating him, not playing to the emotions he obviously wanted to bring out in her. He'd been like that before. Always said the right thing to bring out the exact reaction he wanted in her. Well, not again. "You know you're in way deeper than you ought to be."

"Why do you care?"

"Grace, I may have walked out – and it was a stupid mistake – but that don't mean I never loved you. And it don't mean I don't care about you now… or Teddy."

Grace eyes glared up at him sharply. "What?"

"You gotta stop this. All this fighting? All this danger? It ain't good for him. You gotta think about what's best for–"

"Don't. You. _Dare_!" she growled out viciously. Her body began to shake, she was so angry with him. Benjamin took up a defensive stance, but Grace was beyond the point of caring. "Don't you dare think you can come back in here after _years_ away, and tell me how to be a parent! You left! Whilst you were out traipsing across the desert doing Lord-knows-what, I was at home through all the fevers, all the tantrums, all the moments you never saw. As far as I'm concerned, you gave up your right to dictate to me how to raise my son!"

"You think you're doing good here?" he snapped. "Damn it, Grace, that's a _Rattler_ out there! You think that viper's good for our son? Good for you? I couldn't _stand_ it when I smelt him on you."

"That's none of your business."

"You're my wife."

"You walked out!" she shouted, so loudly she could've sworn the humans at the road might've heard her. "You walked out on me, Ben! You realise what I did for you? I _loved_ you. My daddy told me no, threatened to disown me, but I didn't care. You made me love you. You showed me more love then I'd ever known was possible. When you asked, I practically abandoned my family for you. I was devoted to you. If you had told me you wanted to leave, I would've gone with you that same day and never looked back. Instead I came home to find the man I loved gone, and that he'd left me homeless and penniless! I could've _died_! I could've died – or worse, Ben! I had your children on the way. You used me. And you left me nothing."

"It's not _all_ my fault–"

"The hell it isn't!" she screeched. "You gonna tell me I wasn't loving you right? That it was my fault? You always used to say that when we argued. Finally I woke up and realised you _never_ loved me as much as I loved you."

He reached out, as if to hold her in his coils. "I'm here to love you now–"

Grace recoiled from him, her eyes filled with furious tears, her teeth bared. "Don't you dare touch me."

"God damn-it woman!" he shouted and suddenly turned away from her to hit the wall of the alley with his tail. Grace jumped. She'd never seen Benjamin be so angry as to be violent before. "You got no idea what I went through!"

"It's always about you!"

"Just listen!" he pushed out a coil to restrain her, to keep her still. Grace yelped, startled. It was enough to break whatever panicked and angry spell had come over Benjamin, for he gently released her and took a long, deep breath to calm himself. "I was in debt. Bad. You know me, Gracie, I always mouthed off, tried to sell the wrong thing to the wrong people."

"You were conman."

"And it caught up with me. Gracie, there were some nasty people who wanted to hurt me. I had to sell everything just to get them off my back for a week. You got no idea what it's like to be hunted, to have that threat of being ripped apart loomin' over you. Turns you into a nervous wreck."

He shivered. And despite everything, Grace felt the tinniest glimmer of guilt spark through her. Had he really been so down on his luck? She asked herself. Had he truly been in so much danger, when she'd thought he'd just gotten bored and left? It didn't completely erase her anger, but it did cause a fracture to appear in her defensive walls. Benjamin looked at her with those puppy eyes that had always melted her before, the eyes that always got her to do whatever he wanted her to do, no matter what it was.

"I figured, because I sold everything, you wouldn't want nothing to do with me. And I needed to get out of Dirt, Gracie. Small-town life was choking me. So I packed up and went. I figured you'd be okay. Your daddy lorded that over me plenty of times. I guessed the old coot would take you in."

"Guessed? Figured?" She bit out harshly. She shook her head, and gave him a look that clearly said _unbelievable_. "Thank you for coming back, Benjamin Hares. You've just put aside any doubt in my mind that you are as much of a selfish bastard as I always thought you were."

"No, Gracie, wait!" His tail reached out and again restrained her when she turned to leave. Grace initially struggled, but stopped herself. There was no point. He dropped his hold on her and turned her head with his tail to look at him, his eyes imploring her. "Please. I am sorry for what happened. So sorry. And I know I got no right asking you to forgive me, but I desperately want _us_ back. At least give me a shot, right? I want to come home to my wife."

 _Damn it all._ Grace felt a lump in her throat as she cast her eyes away. "It's not that simple."

"It doesn't have to be. Look, just let me prove to do right by you, this once. Give me a week. And if you still want me gone, I'll pack up and leave – for good. I'll even annul us so you'll be a free woman."

Damn her, Grace actually stood there and thought about for a while. Was she actually considering this? Inviting him back into her life, into her home? She had a good thing going on with Jake, why push that all aside now? Well, technically she wasn't, she was firmly set on telling Benjamin 'no' either way at the end of this one-week-trial. So then why even give him the time day? Because he was the father of her child, and she had loved him once, a long time ago. And what's more, he had nowhere else to go. And she couldn't ask him to live on the streets when her couch or her barn was good enough.

She sighed. Why did he have to do this to her? Ultimately, she had no choice. She nodded.

* * *

It had been awkward to escort Benjamin to her house, to show him the couch where he would be sleeping, at his questions explain _why_ he had to sleep on the couch. A part of Grace had despised the thought of this _intruder_ in her home. It felt like she always had to watch her back, had to keep an eye on him in case he tried to steal the family silver. She admonished herself for such thoughts, but it wasn't easy when she gripped the carving knife a little too tight when preparing the dinner.

Sundown quickly came, and with it, Pricilla and her mother dropped Teddy back home. It was almost a relief to Grace to have her son back home and under her watchful eye. With Benjamin's arrival, it seemed like nothing felt safe, there were too many surprises lurking in the world.

But then came the extremely tense moment. The moment that Grace had hoped and feared would never come. The moment when Teddy would meet his father.

As Grace closed the front door and turned with her son to head back into the kitchen, they were both surprised to see Benjamin stood in the hallway. A large, charming smile was spread across her husband's face. Grace noted it was the same smile that he always wore when he was trying to sell something. Teddy frowned up at the strange adult in his home. Perhaps it was because of his odd vision, or perhaps he was trying to figure out what was happening and why.

Grace tensed when Benjamin invited himself to come unexpectedly close to them. He lowered his head to be on eyelevel with Teddy and his plastered smile widened a little when he seemed to recognise the same pattern on the boy as his own. "Hey there, little guy. You must be Teddy?"

Teddy cocked his head, his eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"Teddy, this is Benjamin…" Grace hazarded. She was at a loss for what to do. Benjamin cleared his throat loudly.

"I'm your daddy, son." He told Teddy sweetly. He reached out with the tip of his tail, and tapped Teddy on the end of his nose. "Look at you, a chip off the old block." He also seemed to ignore the way Teddy whipped his tail along the ground in an attempt to make a rattling noise.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

Grace gasped and snapped on instinct, "Teddy! Language!"

Benjamin chuckled. "Well, son, I'm here because I finally realised I was stupid. And I wanna chance to be the dad… and _husband_ , that I wasn't before. Would you like that?"

"No." With that short and curt answer, Teddy craned his neck back to look up at his mother beside him. "Momma? When's Jake comin' home?"

"I, uh…" Grace mumbled. She avoided Benjamin's disapproving glare. Thankfully she was saved when they all suddenly heard a loud knock on the door behind them. Grace didn't want to, but at the insistent, impatient, continuous knocking, she gently nudged Teddy in Benjamin's direction. "Teddy, why don't you go wash up before bed, okay?"

"Here, I'll help you little tyke," said Benjamin, offering Teddy his tail to hold.

The child glared up at his father, and slithered right past him up the stairs. "I can do it. I'm not a baby."

"Oh I know; you're getting to be so big now. I'm proud of you, son."

When at the top of the stairs, Teddy turned and fixed Benjamin with an obviously fake charming smile. "I want what's good for my momma and me."

"So do I."

"No. You don't. That's why I'm not your son. Momma always said I was a gift from God. I'm gonna believe that instead."

Benjamin's smile was slightly strained. "Why don't you give me chance? Maybe I can change your momma's mind and yours too?"

"Mr Jake's gonna beat you outta this house. You know that, right?"

" _Son_. I'm only gonna say this once." Benjamin's voice was suddenly tight, his brows knit downward even as the smile remained on his face. He leant forward, and spoke quietly. "I'm your daddy, so in the future you're gonna talk to me with a little more respect. And we'll get along just fine. Are we clear?"

Teddy scowled at the man who claimed to be his father. With not another word, the son turned and stormed off into his own room.

Meanwhile, Grace answered the door at the bottom of the stairs. She saw nothing at first, his scales blended that well with the dark of the night, despite their colour. It was only because of the twin blazing fiery eyes that she was able to tell he was there at all. Upon realising it was Jake, Grace was simultaneously surprised and relieved to see him. She quickly stepped onto the front porch.

"Jake, hey." She said softly as she closed the front door behind her to ensure privacy between them.

The rattlesnake's scowl was thunderous as he glared down at her. When he spoke, his voice was eerily low and quiet. "Ya got three seconds to tell me what's going on, woman."

Grace grimaced. "Jake, it's complicated…"

"You've told me ya hate him – hell, you've even had me in yer bed. Now he come's struttin' back, suddenly I'm out and he's in?"

"Of course not–!"

"You remember what we said?" he growled as he leaned closer, until their noses were only centimetres apart. "Yer mine. And I don't share."

Grace felt her own anger began to stir and snap back. She hissed, "I'm not a _toy_ , so don't speak to me like I'm one!"

"Why you even toleratin' him? Why let him anywhere near ya?"

She groaned and shrugged. "Jake, I don't have much choice. He's my _husband_ –"

" _What_?" Jake snapped, his pupils became blade-thin. "Now yer worried about holdin' up marriage-vows? Screw yer propriety!"

"Jake, you know I didn't mean it like that!" She tried to gently reach for him. "You know I want you–"

He recoiled from her touch, his face furious. "You want the bad boy to keep you warm but the husband on yer arm!"

"No!"

"You won't have me while he's here, will you? Because he's yer _'_ _husband'_. Ain't that right?!"

Grace just stared, her mouth open in shock and horror at this turn of events. She wanted to say the words, but nothing would come out of her stuck throat.

"Say it!"

"Yes." Came a choked whisper.

Jake growled. "That's what I thought."

"It-It's not what you think…"

"Enjoy yer _husband_ whilst yer little bit on the side slinks away, unnoticed!"

And with that, he turned and stormed off her porch and down the path of her front yard. Grace watched him go, panic, confusion and guilt warring within her.

"Jake! Wait!" she called.

"If ya ever wanna have a little fun behind his back, let me know!" Jake shouted sarcastically over his shoulder. "I'll be sure to hop in on his side of the bed while it's still warm!"

Grace watched him go. When he was gone and the night was still and silent once more, she hung her head and held back her weary tears. _What a mess._

* * *

Throughout the whole of the next day, Grace was a twitching mess. A fitful night's sleep had made her sleep-deprived-dreary brain that morning not recognise Benjamin when he came down the stairs for breakfast. She'd almost screamed the whole house down. It took her three seconds to remember everything that had happened yesterday. Then had begun the awkward affair of having a 'family' breakfast, with Teddy glaring across the table at Benjamin the entire time. Grace wished her son wouldn't be so standoffish with his father. Despite everything that Benjamin had done, he still was Teddy's father by blood, and so they should have a comfortable relationship. However, that didn't seem likely at the moment, the child was as sullen and bitter as the rattlesnake he'd come to admire. He was in such a dark mood; Grace had never seen him like this before.

Not long after breakfast, Benjamin announced he would be going into town to buy some groceries so that he could cook them all dinner tonight. Grace was more than a little weary – no one touched her kitchen. But with Benjamin out of the house, it allowed her to have a moment to relax. Teddy was content to tidy his room as his mother requested – which was quite strange in itself. The boy had no desire to leave his mother's side, as if _he_ were the one watching over _her_.

So in the quiet of the midmorning, sat on her sofa, Grace attempted to stitch up a hole in one of her bedsheets, whilst thinking about her dilemma with her lover. Had anything he said been true? Was she more concerned about appearances? Well, anyone would be. According to the church, Benjamin was her husband, she'd vowed to be loyal and obedient to him. According to society, the fact that she would keep up an affair whilst her husband was in the picture was cause for mass scandal. It had been different when Benjamin had seemingly abandoned her and Teddy, then people wouldn't have blamed her for loving and making love to a different man. But did she really care what they thought? Not really. So why had she told Jake she had?

Either way, she knew she had to find Jake in order to resolve this. Fast.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she heard a polite knock at the door. At first her heart pounded that Jake had come back. But the knocking didn't match his abrupt and intrusive manner. So, with a sigh, she went to the door and opened it to strangely find a small chipmunk dressed in a grey suit at her door.

Grace cocked her head, curious. "Can I help you?"

"Grace Glossy?" asked the chipmunk a little timidly. "Hello there, my name is Melbourne, I'm with the bank of Mud."

"What can I do for you Mr Melbourne?"

"Ma'am, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to ask you to come into town. There's a matter that requires your presence at the Lawyers department. Urgently."

"What? Why? What is this all about?"

"Well, it's just that…" Melbourne's eyes darted to the floor, his fingers twitched together. "There's a man there claiming to be your, uh, _husband_. He's trying to do legal transactions without you present. I thought it a bit odd. The whole time you've been a client, you've never made any mention of–"

Profanity exploded from Grace's lips in a rush of anger. "That sneaky, no good, lying son of a whore!"

She didn't have a thought in her head for anything else as she leapt clear over the chipmunk's head and landed at the bottom of her porch steps. Melbourne yelped, and watched as the furious glossy snake stormed her way out of her farm and made her way in the direction of town. Grace was beyond reasoning with. Her teeth were bared and there was an infernal hiss erupting out of her gut, even as her belly sliced through the sand at high speed. She didn't stop, even when she was heaving for air, until she was in town. Folks wisely decided to give her a wide birth when they noticed her aura of rage.

She found the lawyers offices, 'Catridge and Sons Attorneys', a building made out several sardine containers, and was actually large enough to fit a snake of Grace's size inside. She all but busted down the door in her flurry to get inside. The two other animals in the waiting room practically screamed their heads off at the burst of angry snake into their midst. Grace ignored them and also ignored the secretary as she barged right into the main office.

Benjamin sat with his back to her at a large desk made out of a matchbox. The nervous looking weasel on the other side tried to smooth down his messy jacket as he smiled up at Grace. She just stood there fuming at the back of Benjamin's head, who still had yet to acknowledge her entrance.

Cartridge smiled in an attempt to hide his clear anxiety. "Ah, Madam Glossy. Glad you could join us."

Grace stalked forward with all the menace of a predator on the hunt. She kept her gaze fixed on Benjamin as she came to sit in the chair right next to him. He refused to look at her.

" _You_." She hissed low and dangerously. She almost lunged at him. "What the hell do you think you're doing, you slimy bastard!"

"Miss Grace, please!" Catridge's voice broke through her anger and had her sitting back down, though still scowling. "We need to keep this meeting civil to get to the bottom of this. I take it this is your husband?"

"In the _loosest_ form of the term." She ground out between clenched teeth. "What is this all about?"

"Your husband here is attempting to sell your land."

"You… you _what?_ " Grace was shaking, she was that angry. It was all she could do not to reach over to him and strangle him. "Traitor! Judas! How could you?!"

"It's my right." He finally spoke up with a snap as he glared over at her. He then turned his attention back to Cartridge, jaw set firmly. "I'm her husband, sir – she said it herself. Legally, as her husband, all her assets are owned by me."

Grace screeched in indignation. "No! My daddy gave me that farm specifically in his will. The deed is in my name."

"And as your husband, everything that was yours is mine."

"Bullshit! I'm not going to let you sell me out again!"

"Gracie, it's for your own good–"

"Don't you _ever_ call me ' _gracie'_ –!"

"Please!" Cartridge shouted over the pair of them. When he had their attention (momentarily), he sighed and continued. "Now, I understand that this is causing some conflict to occur between you. I suggest you both go home and sort this out amongst yourselves whilst you get the paperwork sorted."

"Paperwork?" Benjamin asked.

Grace glared. "Surely this matter can be decided now!"

"Actually, no." the weasel shook his head. "To prove that the pair of you are telling the truth, respectively, I'll need legal documents that back up your claims. Miss Glossy, I'll need to see your father's last will and testimony to be sure that he left your farm to you as sole inheritor. And Mr Hares, I'll need proof that you and Miss Glossy were ever formally married, such as a marriage certificate."

Both snakes gaped, clearly not happy with this result. Even as Cartridge stood and gathered up a folder in his arms. He then began to inch towards the door.

"Until then," he tipped his hat to them. "I bid you good-day."

* * *

As the note had told him to do so, Rango rode his roadrunner, alone, to the canyons where the hill-folk had once made their nest. The day air was stifling hot, and Rango had to take off his hat to use it as a fan. He only hoped he hadn't been stood up.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait long before he heard a familiar accented voice. "Ah, _Monsieur_ Rango."

"Dufayel." Rango warily kept his distance as the fox stepped out of the shadows to fully face him, flanked of course by the ever present Coyote and his thugs. "I had been hoping to speak with you…"

The fox grinned and made a grand gesture to himself. "Well, here I am."

"I need to know if there's any way I can convince you to stop all this."

"As I recall," Dufayel tapped his chin, sarcastically implying he was thinking. " _You_ were the one who asked for a legal battle, _non?_ What's the matter, Sheriff? Cold-feet?"

"You gotta stop this. These people live here, Dufayel – you can't ask them to move out."

"I have offered to compensate them." He snorted as he inspected his cane.

"This is their home."

He snapped. "And this is my _livelihood_. I invested enough into this foolhardy venture to begin with. It is time I received my profit."

"Then can't we reach some sorta bargain?" Rango didn't care for his pride as he begged. "There has to be a way to resolve this."

"Your people have made it clear they want nothing to do with me."

With no alternative, Rango sighed. When he looked back at the fox, his gaze was cold, and his voice as menacing as he could make it. "For your own sake, I'm asking you to leave us be."

Dufayel grinned. "Is that a threat, _Monsieur_ Rango?"

"You don't wanna corner a wild animal."

"And you had best not attempt to outfox a fox. It goes badly for you in your case."

Rango slumped. "Will nothing change your mind? These people are desperate."

"Your Mayor Tortoise John brought this upon your heads when he came to me. Begged me to endorse him. I've spent almost everything I have on this. I _need_ that investment back – tenfold!" he stamped the end of his cane into the dirt. "Don't you speak to me of _desperation!_ "

"Dufayel, I–"

"Try. Beg and plead all you wish. It does not change the inevitable. Every move you can make is on the board and already planned out. And now I'm closing in for a checkmate." And with that, he turned and strutted off into the dusty shadows again. "Go home, Sheriff. I believe we're done here."

With nothing else to do, Rango did as he was bid. He rode the roadrunner all the way back to Beans' ranch. He didn't know why he felt he needed to, but it just seemed to make sense that she'd make everything better. She always managed to brighten his day, anyway. But what was he going to tell her now?

"Rango!" came the cry the made him jump. And suddenly Beans' glaring eyes were right in front of him. "Where in the hell have you been? You have any idea how worried I was?"

The chameleon cleared his throat. Now came the moment of truth. Beans never wanted him to lie again, but would this truth destroy her as he feared it would? "I, uh, I went to see Dufayel."

"What? What were you thinking!" Beans shouted. After a moment, it seemed her curiosity got the better of her, and she wildly gestured for him to continue. "Well then? How'd it go?"

Well, he'd already told her one truth. Perhaps it would be best to even up the numbers?

"It's sorted." The lie came easily off of his lips.

Beans' eyebrows shot upwards. "It is?"

"Yeah, I marched right up on in there and I demanded to know what his terms were. I looked him right in the eye, noticed one of his was out of whack with the other. A common weakness of a man with a lazy eye is that he is frightened of fast movements. So I dashed about the room – freaked him the hell out! And that's when I got right in his face and I says: 'Dufayel! Here's how's this is gonna play down! A woman is out there who needs her land. She is an outstanding gal, with pretty socks, and I will not have you disrespect her. Are we clear?' Then we sorted out terms over drinks."

Beans' arms were folded across her chest, a knocking smirk spread over her face. For a second, Rango feared he would get caught out and scolded. Instead, Beans giggled. "Pretty socks?"

"I like the colour…" he took a quick look down at her feet. "grey."

She giggled and reached for him. Her arms easily wrapped around his shoulders as she leaned in to kiss his guilty face. "Thank you, Rango."

Rango only hoped he didn't live to regret this.


	27. A Very Bad Day

**Author's Note: Sorry for the long wait you guys. I had my own original project that I was desperate to finish before I updated ANY of my fanfictions. But now that that's done, I'm hoping to get back into writing much more regularly. Also, when I got round to writing this, it was almost Christmas, and I thought that this was definitely NOT a subject matter to think of during the Christmas period.**

 **BIG WARNING. This chapter contains themes and content that some readers may find disturbing. Please read with your own discretion and caution if you are easily triggered. **

**Also there is ART of this chapter on my Deviantpage. Please go check it out!**

 **Having said that, I hope everyone had a fabulous and happy Christmas, and I hope all of you have a wonderful New Year as well.**

 **Please don't forget to Review!**

* * *

A Very Bad Day

 _"_ _I paid my dues, but it's a debt I'm done paying_

 _I'm standing strong, but I'm still on my knees praying_

 _That nothing in this world will ever break my heart again_

 _No pain this life will put me through will ever-ever hurt like you…" – Hayden Panettiere 'Nothing In This World Will Ever Break My Heart Again'_

* * *

Grace didn't speak to Benjamin until they were back inside her house. She was so furious that her entire serpentine body shook from the force of it. It was a ball of hot air right below her stomach, it made her want to burst into tears at the same time as roar to the heavens. Her movements were uncontrolled, as she slammed the front door of her house so hard the frame rattled noisily. She turned to face Benjamin, and her rage was only incensed when she saw that he had the audacity to look angry as well.

"I knew you was crazy, Gracie," he hissed under his breath, "but I never thought you'd be so bloody stupid!"

"Don't. You. _DARE._ Don't you dare think you have any right to be angry with me! How could you pull this stunt, Benjamin?!"

"I don't see how I've done anything wrong."

"You tried to sell me out! What would you have to gain by–" she sucked in a breath as it hit her. Her eyes turned to ice and her voice was a barely concealed whisper of fury. "You didn't… Tell me you didn't!"

He shifted his coils and didn't look at her. "Had to be done."

"You're not even gonna bother lying!" she screeched. "Dufayel put you up to this!"

"Grace, it's this is the only way. I had to. All of this?" he stressed with increasing frustration and gestured around the room. "All of it, it's only puttin' you and Teddy in danger. That fox's gonna win in the end – even if he's gotta do it over your corpses."

She scoffed. "Did he come up with that speech for you? Or did you do it on your own?"

"Grace, _listen to me!_ "

"No. Every word that comes outta your mouth is a lie." He went to argue but she didn't give him the chance to speak. "You know what? I'm done. I can't go through with this again, Benjamin. You broke me once, now you want to break me again? For what? What did he offer you that was so much more important than me? Than Teddy?"

His expression turned dark, the end of his tail clenched unconsciously into a fist. "Dufayel promised to clear my debt if I sold him the land. I'd be free of them nasty people, Gracie. Look at it from my point of view. You want that for me?"

"Right now, I couldn't give two rats asses if they dumped you on the human road."

Neither of the arguing adults could have known that someone was listening to their every word. Teddy had been alerted to trouble when he'd heard his mother leaving not even an hour ago, only to have her return with Benjamin in tow. The slammed door, raised voices and the spoor of _danger_ made his blood pump in his ears. Anxiously, he'd snuck out of his room and crept down the stairs as quietly as possible. He'd peaked around the open wall in an attempt to see what had happened. Though his poor vision couldn't allow him to see things clearly, he could make out the figures of his parents and so stayed put and watched and listened with growing nerves.

Something about this didn't feel right. It put his entire body on edge.

"Come on, baby, don't be like that." Benjamin said and slithered a little closer to Grace, his tail stretched to try to entwine with hers. "I can't stand to see us fighting. I want us back. Don't you love us that much to at least try? Or did you never really care like you said?"

She edged back from his touch. "Look in the mirror, asshole! You think that after all this I'm gonna just let you still walk all over me?"

"Gracie, don't push me away. The only reason we never worked was because you didn't love me right. You wouldn't _LET_ me love you."

"Don't you touch me!" she slapped his tail away when he tried to reach for her again. Her glare was murderous. "You lost the right to me a long time ago."

"Yeah," he snapped, patience finally at an end. "Because you gave that away to an outlaw _rattler_."

"Ten years celibate after you? I think I'm entitled to my own fun."

"Don't talk about that like you're some trollop!"

His glare surprised her with its intensity, but she refused to stop. Her sneer spoke of how much she enjoyed this one victory to get under his skin. "Oh, but it's true."

"Is that it then? Will you only let me touch you if I turn you on the right way?" As if to emphasise his point, he flattened his head to make it look more triangular, and shook the end of his tail back and forth along the floor until it produced a high pitched rattling noise. The common trick of the Gopher-Snake, and his stare was all the more menacing for it.

"Grow up!" she shot back. "Are we still fifteen, Benjamin? At least one of us can claim to be an adult!"

"You better start listening to me, woman. I won't have this shit!"

"My house, my shit."

"This is what them outlaws do to you? They get you too big for your boots. If you felt anything for us, you won't let me get in bad with these people!"

"Why should I?!"

"You're MY wife!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Grace glared at him, her eyes as cold and hard as stone. It was then that she realised that she had been a complete and utter fool. But that ended now. "No. I'm not. I've not been your wife for a _long_ time."

And with that, she pushed her body into Benjamin's and attempted to push him backwards towards the front door. He was a little longer than her, though not by much, and his breed were naturally skinny. She managed to push him back an inch in his surprise, until he dug himself into the floor and shoved her backwards.

"Wait, what're you doing?!" he shouted in outrage.

There was something in his eyes, an unstable gleam that made her nervous. She covered it up with a shout of her own. "You can get out of my house!"

"No! You ain't doing this to me!" he fought back in a frenzy when she tried to push him out again. His frustration, outrage and desperation manifesting into a flailing body.

"Watch me."

"I warn you, Grace!"

She glared up at him, nose to nose. "Or what?!"

 _WHACK!_

Teddy gaped, his spine trembled. He could've sworn he heard a pin drop in the deafening silence that invaded the shocked house.

Grace righted her head where it snapped back from the force of the blow. Her cheek stung with a great burn. As if her brain struggled to comprehend what had happened, her tail reached up to rub the spot on her jaw. She was rendered speechless when she felt tender at the touch. She could feel the flesh already start to swell.

She stared back at Benjamin, rendered speechless. He'd hit her. Never before in all the time she'd known him had he been violent towards her… And what disturbed her to her core, was the fact that he didn't look at all apologetic. In fact, he looked… triumphant.

"Get…" she whispered, unable to regain control of her earlier bravado. "Get out… now."

"No." he muttered and advanced towards her. "You're gonna listen to me. And listen good."

"No! Get away from me!" she screeched in sudden fright. She didn't know if he would follow up his first strike, but her emotional overload was too great in that moment, and she freaked out. She tried to squirm back away from him, to push him and hit him back with her own tail.

With a grunt, he wrapped her tail in one of the loops of his coils, and then struck her across the face again with the end of his tail. Grace's head snapped back and she cried out. She tasted blood and her lips ballooned with heat as they split apart. With all her might, she tried to fight and squirm her way free. At some point, she even managed to bat her head into the side of his. Benjamin yelped, and retaliated by smashing the front of his flat nose into her ribs. She doubled over, her scream silent where her lungs had no air. Only to be slapped back by the end of Benjamin's tail that slapped her back up.

"You selfish cow." Benjamin hissed, all affection gone from him as he seethed down at her. "How do you like me now? Huh? You should'a done what I told ya. I am not gonna let you throw me under the bus! I ain't goin' out that way!"

Teddy watched, eyes wide and mouth hung open in absolute terror. He stood utterly helpless as he watched his mother, his world, be destroyed by the man who loomed over her. He wanted to scream, to charge into the fight and save his Momma. But the fear was too great.

Later, he would cry in his room and scream to himself that he was a coward. But in that moment, it was the only thing he knew to do. He spun on the spot and lunged for the front door, unnoticed by either adult.

He leapt off the front porch and immediately began to race as fast as he could towards town. Despite the journey, the adrenaline coursing through his veins gave him the stamina to slither as fast as could, as quick as an arrow, to the edge of Mud. Though he was heaving and panting as he finally came down the main street.

"Mr Jake!" he screamed at the top of his lungs.

People stopped what they were doing to look at the peculiar child that wandered aimlessly down the road. Teddy looked from window to window, person to person. His eyes pleaded with them to help as tears flowed down his face, unable to be stopped.

"Mr Jake!" he called again.

"Teddy?"

The little snake spun at the sound of the familiar deep voice. Jake loomed over the child, covering him in his shadow. His expression was confused. What on earth could have the kid so worked up? Teddy practically fell in front of Jake, sniffling and panting and sobbing all at the same time.

"Momma!" he wheezed. "He's gonna… he's gonna… hurt her…"

Jake didn't need to be told anything else. A ball of ice had suddenly formed in his gut, and it spiked through him with a fear had never before felt in all his life.

The rattlesnake surged forward and raced back the way the boy had come. Though rattlesnakes were not inherently fast, Jake defied expectations in how quickly he managed to traverse the desert to make his way back to the farm. A thousand and one scenarios played through his mind, each one more horrible than the last. Why had he left Grace alone with that creep? Why hadn't he just killed him when he first saw him?! The rage that made his insides shiver was unlike anything he had ever felt before in all his life. It boiled his insides and made him want to tear apart every building in Mud with his bare coils. But he had to push it aside, let it be channelled into fuelling his speed so he could make it in time.

The pigs even seemed unsettled when he finally – after what felt like forever – came to the farm. The very air of the place, even on the outside, seemed to have suddenly shifted. Gone was the warmth, the inviting aura that bloomed out from this place. Instead it felt like a kill site that lay set as the perfect ambush.

A scream erupted into the air, and Jake felt the heat of the sun on his scales die away and left him cold. With no more need of a prompt, he charged up the stairs of the porch and burst into the house, almost taking the door out of its frame in his haste. He looked about, frantic, until his eyes found her.

He froze.

Jake was never one to freeze. Not in shock, hesitation or fear. But in that moment, his bones turned to stone and his eyes went wide. He was unable to move or do anything other than remain prisoner, with the vision in front of his eyes as a constant form of torture.

Grace lay on the floor, her body scratched and painted black and green from already forming bruises. Blood dripped from her split lip, the red stain smeared across her face. One of her eyes was swollen shut and turned black. She wheezed for breath and whimpered as she tried to curl her hurting body into a protective ball. Benjamin stood high over her, and had snapped his eyes to look at the intruder.

For a moment, Jake was no longer in the scene. He didn't see Grace beaten and battered, or her husband ready to do god-knows-what-else to her. No. Instead he saw his mother, lying in a pool of her own blood on the living-room floor, new bruises forming over old ones still not quite healed. Her breathing was laboured, blood gurgled in her throat. And looming over her stood his father, who swayed on the spot, his slit pupils unfocused on anything even as they looked in Jake's general direction.

His old man smiled a gap-toothed grin and swigged from the bottle of brandy still clutched in his tail. _"_ _One day, my boy… you'll be just like me…"_ he'd said with a slur.

And now it was happening all over again.

"Momma!" someone shrieked.

Teddy's voice snapped Jake out of whatever trance he'd been in. He didn't know how the boy had managed to catch up with him, and didn't give it much thought as he focused back on the situation at hand.

And that was when it all hit him. Grace lying on the floor, beaten to within an inch of her life, and the scum responsible for it standing right there. Jake had heard it said once that rage was a hell of an anaesthetic, and at the moment, it numbed everything inside of him that did not focus on the one impulse that drowned all others: _KILL_.

Furious beyond all reason, Jake launched himself at the Gopher. They crashed to the ground, and the furniture behind them splintered under their combined weight and force. Benjamin was the first one up, being the lighter and faster of the two. Panic was set in his eyes, absolute terror as he realised exactly what he'd gotten himself into. He tried to worm away, to get free. But Jake's huge coils lay partially in his way, his metallic rattle furiously beating back and forth into one constant sound.

The coward hunkered in the corner, every defence in place. He puffed his sides, made his head triangular, and rattled the end of his tail on the floor. Jake ignored the phony signals as he reared up so high the back of his neck brushed the ceiling.

He struck Benjamin across the face with his tail, and morbidly enjoyed the sound of the metal 'clang' against his skull. Jake didn't dare want to use bullets for this. No. Bullets would make this over far too quickly, and he wanted to watch this piece of shit _die_. The hit was swiftly followed with a slam from his coils into the back wall, making a crack appear in the wood behind him. Jake quickly circled and spun his way around a disorientated Benjamin, until he had his neck wrapped in his coils. He squeezed with all the strength he had, he wanted to see his eyes pop out of his skull. Benjamin wriggled and threw his tail about in an attempt to get free. But every movement starved his oxygen that little bit more.

Just before Benjamin could pass out, Jake unwound his coils and threw him across the room. The Gopher landed on the coffee table and shattered it. He rolled towards the hallway, Teddy only just managing to leap out of his way with a shriek. The child immediately raced towards his mother, and even in her half-conscious state, she seemed to know it was him, and pulled him into her tight embrace. With both mother and son safely out of the way, Jake advanced on Benjamin, who desperately tried to wriggle up and slip away.

Jake bit into the red moth-eaten tie and pulled Benjamin up. He yelped with the force, and when Jake thought the momentum had him flying upwards he let go and thrust his head into the same path. He made sure his hard head smashed into the Gopher's face with all the force he could muster. Benjamin gave a strangled cry of pain, and blood spurted into the air from his nose. A tooth came loose and clattered to the floor. Jake was unfazed and spun so fast, his tail smacked Benjamin's jaw so hard, he could've sworn both the bone and some of the metal cylinders came a little loose.

Benjamin dropped to the floor, bruised and blooded and barely coherent. But still, Jake wasn't done. It wasn't enough to beat him mercilessly. The coldness of death had come over Jake, the unfeeling pit he delved into when a kill such as this overcame him. It was why he was named the Grimm Reaper, it was why he was the devil incarnate on earth. It robbed him of morality, of mercy, it was the ultimate point of no return for him. It was the place that could not be surfaced from until the addiction for blood and violence and death was sated. Years of anger, days of frustration, endless torment and a lifetime of loathing all focused into his entire being, the point of the sword that drove him to it.

He loomed over Benjamin, eyes gone completely red, pupils as thin as paper, no humanity left within him. Benjamin warily opened his eyes to see him there, and quaked with terror. Jake's black tongue darted out of his mouth, a constant hiss dropped from his throat to leek between his teeth. His fangs ached to be set loose.

His voice was little more than a barely coherent growl of syllables. " _Burn_ , asshole."

Jaws widened, fangs popped out to stand to attention. He heard Grace and Teddy whimper. Benjamin's eyes widened and he tried to scramble away. "N-No! Wait!"

Jake lunged, quick as lightning. His jaws closed around Benjamin's throat. There was a moment of resistance, as the scales and skin attempted to hold against the points that tried to piece them. Then, the twin scythes of death in Jake's mouth punctured through and drove themselves into the flesh up to the hilts. It only took a moment, as Jake felt the rush in the back of his head when he poured every drop of venom he had through his fangs at a phenomenal rate. A second later he disengaged and pulled himself free, venom spent. His fangs folded back into his mouth and he sat back to watch.

Benjamin screamed and writhed across the floor. His shrieks were loud and high pitched, and grew more frantic as the seconds passed. Unbelievable agony filled his being, and it was shown on his contorted face. The skin and scales around the punctures of the fangs began to swell, and blood oozed slowly from the wound. Jake had always found it fascinating to watch his venom work. To watch it kill off the blood of the victim itself, and destroy the flesh and organs it came across on its journey. Jake had pumped everything he had into the jugular artery of Benjamin Hares. It could have been called a waste, as it would take Jake a few days to replenish his supply. But in that moment, as the huge amount of venom caused his victim untold agony, it was worth it. And then, after a few minutes, Benjamin's struggles became less frantic, his grew still, his pupils became wide and his heart stopped beating.

Benjamin Hares was dead.

Jake snorted in disgust. Clamping the body in his mouth, he dragged it over to the front door and threw it out into the front yard. Let the buzzards have it, he thought and slammed the door behind him.

Then came the hardest part of all.

Grace lay huddled in the corner, weeping softly. Teddy was held in her coils, she held onto him as if he were her last shred to sanity. Her eyes were closed and she pushed her face against the wall. Every bruise, cut and line on her body glared out at Jake, reminded him how he had gotten here too late, how he had not prevented this, how he had failed. Grace was his woman; he should've done something sooner.

For the first time in a long time of his angry existence, Jake felt pity and shame. This was the woman he'd spent nights just curled up beside just for the feel of her scales and the loveliness of her warmth. To see her so hurt and broken made something inside him twist and hurt in return. The anger and cold-blooded drive for murder drained from his body, and all that replaced it was sadness.

Slowly, he inched closer to her. He didn't what to do. He wanted to take her in his embrace and reassure her that everything was all right. On the other hand he just wanted to pretend he had no weakness and gruffly tell her to get up. Would either solution be allowed? Would it make things worse? The indecision made him grow angry again with frustration.

Teddy's eyes never left him as he hovered close by. Grace had still not opened her eyes to look at him. Slowly, tenderly, he reached out to gently nuzzle her with his snout. She went still as stone, her hiccupping sobs were held in a frozen breath. Careful of any hurts or bruises, Jake repeated the motion, and attempted to coax her –

" _Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgggggggggggh!"_ Grace screamed.

The noise was so loud, Jake recoiled away from her and shook his head to be rid of the ring in his ears. Panicked, thinking that perhaps she was hurt worse than he'd originally thought, his eyes darted back to her. Grace had pushed herself into the corner of the room, only one eye able to open as far as it could. Teddy was held in her tail and pressed against her chest like a child squeezing a toy against them for comfort. Her eyes darted around the room, hysterical and frightened.

"Grace," Jake murmured softly, attempting to call her back to reality, even if his voice was laced with his own tension. "It's alright, come on–"

"Don't touch me!" she shrieked when he tried to approach.

He froze, but now that he had her attention, he could see in her eyes the contempt and horror in her gaze. It was as if she had never known him before, and only now saw him for the first time. The terror was all too real.

"Get out. Get out!–Get out!–get out!"

Her screams threatened to break his eardrums. It was enough of a distraction that he was taken completely by surprised when she charged into him. Jake couldn't think how to talk her out of it or do anything to stop her. By the time he even registered what was happening, he had already been pushed through the front door. She threw him out and slammed the door behind him. The finality of it was made all the more apparent when he heard the lock click in place.


	28. Missing You

**Author's Note: Please excuse lateness/all mistakes, I am really REALLY feeling ill right now. The January bug has hit me HARD.**

 **Having said that, I hope you enjoy this longer chapter.**

 **Please don't forget to review!**

* * *

Missing You

 _"_ _Another shot of whiskey, can't stop looking at the door_

 _Wishing you'd come sweepin' in the way you did before_

 _And I wonder if I ever cross your mind_

 _For me it happens all the time…" Lady Antebellum – 'Need you now'_

* * *

Rango had been called out that very afternoon. The town had been in a whole commotion, wondering what had happened that had both the Glossy boy and the Rattlesnake so worked up as to race right out of town. Rango had taken Wounded Bird and a couple of others with him up to the Glossy Farm… and that was where they found it.

The body of Benjamin Hares had been laid out in the yard, long since cold and stiff from death. The culprit responsible had been stood on the front porch, shouting at the locked door and attempting to force his way in. Rango hadn't had the foggiest idea what had happened, and so approached the situation cautiously.

Jake had been beyond furious. From the way the snake paced and bunched his coils over and over, it was clear he was on the tipping point of losing whatever self-control he had left. But even from the bits and pieces Rango could get out of him, he still didn't lay out a happy story. From a husband who beat his wife, to an act of vengeance, to a woman who now lay barricaded inside her own home, distraught. When they all pieced together the basics of what had happened, even Rango's posse seemed to lose their instinctive inhibitions to hang a murderer. They'd thought Jake had killed an innocent and were more than prepared to string him up. But as soon as they learned of Benjamin's actions, even they brushed it aside immediately. No one beat on a woman in this town, snake or no, and Jake's actions were deemed little more than justice.

That only left the act of clean-up. Spoons had run back to town and sent for Beans and the doctor to come as quickly as possible. Then Rango and the others had disposed of the body right out into the middle of nowhere. Let the buzzards have him. By the time they'd come back, Jake was still sat outside when Beans and the Doctor arrived.

Beans had gone right in, and the Doctor trailed after her. Not long after that, screams and shouts had been heard, and it had taken everyone's strength to hold Jake back from smashing down the front door. The Doctor had sprinted out of the house, minus his bag. From what he said, he'd left his medical bag inside for Beans to use, if she could help. Grace didn't want any man near her, let alone touch her.

At hearing the words, Jake had made a scowl so foul, Rango shook in his boots. But the rattler didn't say a word. Instead, he turned and stormed away back across the desert towards town. Everyone had watched him go, somewhat relieved and anxious.

Beans had stayed inside that house for two hours. Rango and the other simply sat in the yard playing tic-tac-toe in the dirt whilst they waited. Well, at least the boys did. Rango had tried to pass the time by counting each of Hamlet's lines from Shakespeare's play from memory. It was almost dark by the time Beans quietly stepped out of Grace's house and softly closed the door behind her.

Her eyes were red from tears, her face slack from tiredness. Her hair seemed droopy and her shoulders slumped. She'd told them all that Grace and Teddy were fine. Grace had suffered a split lip and lots of bruising, but nothing too serious. The wounds should heal within a few weeks. And then she'd recited to them the tale that Grace had said in a fit of sobbing to the little lizard. Beans held back tears as she told them of the evil Benjamin had done, what he'd planned, and how he'd broken the proud woman inside. She also told them of how Grace didn't want to see anybody at all and had insisted that everyone leave her alone.

That had been a week ago. Grace had not been seen leaving her property in all that time. She only ever left the house to feed her pigs. Otherwise she barricaded herself inside and no one went in or out. Rango couldn't help but feel sorry for the poor woman. If all she had suffered through wasn't enough, she was the talk of the town. People gossiped in the nasty way people did, shifting the blame here there and everywhere. No one deserved that, especially not a woman who had helped the town on more than one occasion.

He tried to help. He had someone watch her farm to make sure she was okay. Jake hadn't been back there since that day. The rattlesnake had been an even worse mood then anyone had ever seen him. And in all honesty, Rango didn't know what he was supposed to do.

Sat at his desk, he flicked through his paperwork that he was supposed to have done days ago. None of the words sunk in, and his mind refused to concentrate on anything. He was so distracted that he didn't even hear the footsteps behind him until he felt Beans's hand wrap around his shoulders. Her embrace made him jump, before he melted into her arms.

"We gotta do somethin', Rango," she murmured quietly. "This can't go on no longer."

Rango snorted, absent minded. "The course of true love never did run smooth…"

"Rango? Are ya even listenin' to me?" she turned his chair with her boot until he faced her.

He had the nerve to look sheepish. When he didn't know what to do about any situation, he fell back to theatre. "There's not much we can do, Beans. The lovers' quarrel can only be ended once the drama has been sufficiently milked out of them for the audience to yearn for their reunion. If they come together too soon, the reward will not be as great. We have to really _want_ them to–"

"Oh, for god's sake!" the desert iguana shrieked and stomped towards the door. "I'm goin' up to the farm. When ye get yer boot outta yer ass, tell me!"

She slammed the door closed behind her.

Rango sighed. But the day wasn't done with him yet.

"Sheriff!" screeched Willy as he burst in through the door. His white feathered moustache twitched uncontrollably as he began to stutter, his eyes mere pinpricks of panic. "You gotta come quick! Rattlesnake Jake's at Buford's bar!"

Rango bolted out of the office after Willy, and ran right across the street to the tavern. The piano music which usually flowed through the walls was silent. No laughter or cheers or shouts came from within. Just deathly silence. The chameleon's heart dropped with panic and he burst in through the swinging doors.

Every person and body was pushed up against the walls of the building. All eyes wide, all lungs suspended with tension. The only shift in their intense focus was to Rango for a split second, and then they went back to their staring contest with the one occupant left at the bar. Rango gulped.

Rattlesnake Jake was coiled up with his back to Rango, but everyone knew that all of his attention was on the sheriff. His muscles were stiff, his neck bunched up as if ready to spring. Rango had the insane notion to giggle off the tension that suffocated him. Heart pounding at his obliviousness to overstepping his bounds, he walked right up beside Jake and hopped onto the stool next to him. It was only then that he noticed Buford behind the bar huddled on the floor, trembling and trying to squeeze his fat body out of view.

The Chameleon looked up at the huge pit viper beside him. Jake's black hat was pulled low to obscure his usually violent bright eyes in deep shadows. His lips were little more than a grim line. On the end of his metallic rattle, was a perfectly balanced glass – much as Jake had done on that first day he'd met Rango. A deep brown liquid filled the glass, but Rango could see that it hadn't even been touched.

Jake still hadn't addressed the Sheriff. Or even looked at him. Rango cleared his throat a little awkwardly. "Uh, you okay over there, Jake?"

"My old man used to drink this poison by the bottle." Said the rattlesnake, a bitter snap in his voice. "Always came home stinkin' of it every night."

"Well, err, good for him?" Rango mumbled.

"I once got him sober enough to tell me what he saw in it. Said it was better than the world, sometimes."

Rango nodded, absentminded, and looked around the room again at the usual customers still huddled away from the predator, ready to soil themselves. "Jake, why is everybody like this?"

"Told 'em I'd shoot 'em if they didn't get me a drink."

"Have you been drinking, Jake?"

"No, Sheriff. Never saw the appeal. Thought maybe today was when I'd finally see it. Drown it all out with a burn. Make my old man proud." The hat lifted enough for Rango to see the eyes so bright and hellish, it actually made the poor chameleon shiver. The urge to flee was so strong. But Jake didn't look at him.

"Have you, erm, spoken to Miss Grace yet?"

Jake tipped his tail and smashed the glass of whiskey onto the floor. The mounting rage in the snake was almost palpable. "My daddy had his weakness. It destroyed him. Now I've got my own."

With a sudden roar, Jake smashed his coils against the side of the bar. Rango screamed and threw himself away. A shower of splinters went up into the air. The rattlesnake used coils, head and tail to completely destroy the bar. Glasses shattered, alcohol sprayed, patrons screeched. When the dust finally settled, all that was left was a pile of rubble, which Buford was huddled behind.

Apparently still unsatisfied, Jake snarled his pent-up anger and spun around. In a flurry of writhing scales and the constant angry rattle of his gun, he stormed out of the bar. Gasps from those unfortunate enough to get in his way could be heard from outside. It took a full two minutes before those inside the bar allowed themselves to breathe and look to their Sheriff.

"Well, uh," Rango murmured sheepishly as he picked himself back up from the floor. "That escalated quickly…"

* * *

Grace sat in what remained of her living room and stared at the wall. There was nothing but silence all around her. She'd been doing that a lot over the past couple of days. After… everything had happened, she'd found it hard to function normally again. Cooking was as always the only therapy she knew, but once she baked everything she knew in alphabetical order, it lost its appeal ever so slightly. She'd thrown out all the furniture that had been destroyed on _that_ day, and for good measure had thrown towels and cloths over every mirror. She didn't want to see the evidence that that day ever existed.

Now in full pretend mode, Grace tried to occupy her mind as she normally would. That turned out to be rather difficult. Her mind would wander, as it would in dreams, and she was haunted by what waited behind her eyelids. Peace came only when she forced herself to sit still and let her mind go blank. Thinking was too painful. She could think circled around herself and never be free of the madness. But not thinking, just staring into space, that was good. That was safe. And right now, any safety felt better than the horrid vulnerability she'd been left with.

She'd never been a tough girl, never one to get into fights at school or have any tendencies towards violence. But her daddy had always made sure she was proud, that she never caved to anyone else. Her momma had always told her to be strong for herself, because the world wouldn't do it for her. Grace had grown up knowing that she had herself to rely on. Despite her mistakes and pitfalls in life, she was able to bounce back and show the world her teeth.

And in one awful afternoon, that had all been taken away from her. She was no longer the strong woman and mother. She was a pitiful coward in a corner begging for mercy. And that was what stung her most of all.

It hurt that she couldn't sleep without crying out in the night – she'd taken to sleeping in the barn in the middle of the night so as to not disturb Teddy. It hurt that she always went around her house making sure every window and door was locked and chained shut with curtains drawn. It hurt that she was forced to look in a mirror every evening to make sure her injuries were healing well, to see her failure reflected on her own face. It hurt that she craved comfort but was now terrified of its touch.

For a moment, she thought of Jake, and wondered if he would tolerate this from her. Would he tell her to snap out of such weakness? Or would he take her into his embrace and hold her whilst she cried all her fears away. The very image was laughable, but it made her eyes sting because of how much she wanted it.

Any moment now, she kept expecting him to walk through her door, as he always had done before. How she had once taken that for granted. Now he wasn't ever coming back. Mainly because she'd shoved him away, but from what she knew of, he hadn't come back since that day. Did he see what she saw? Damaged goods no longer worth it?

 _Bang! Bang! Bang!_

The noise of her front door rattling made Grace shriek in fright and jump up. She fled to the other side of the room, her heart refused to become quiet as she sat there panting. Irrational fear coursed through her the room spun. Eyes squeezed shut, she tried to make the nauseas feeling pass.

"Grace? Grace! I know yer in there! Open up!"

The familiar voice surprised her enough to pull her out of her petrified state. It only took that break of the spell, and she was free to move. The voice pulled her along, and she inched further and further towards the front door. Her tail trembled as she reached for the locks and slowly turned them. Some part of her mind whispered that it was a trap, but the voice banished it away. When the chain was pulled off the door, the glossy snake slowly opened the gateway to the outside world and peaked out.

"Beans?" she cocked her head down at the Desert Iguana impatiently tapping her foot on her front porch. "What're you doing here?"

"I ain't takin' no more crap off'a you, missy. Let me in."

Many might've found Beans' tone unsensitive. But after being coddled by everyone and herself for the past week, Grace found it oddly refreshing, and obeyed. She moved aside and allowed the lizard to enter her home. As soon as Beans walked over the threshold, she immediately closed the door and put the locks back in place.

Beans seemed to visibly relax now that she'd been admitted entry to the house. She sat on the last remaining couch, and smoothed her blue skirts. "Where's Teddy?"

"Upstairs playing… he does that a lot, recently." Grace answered quietly as she sat across the room from her friend.

Beans' eyebrows upturned with worry. "He gone quiet?"

Silence had slowly been killing Grace for the past week. And now that someone was asking her just simple and easy questions, it was too much. The dam burst and everything flooded readily to the surface. Grace didn't even realise the tears had gathered in her eyes and threatened to spill over.

"I don't know anymore, Beans. He's still my wonderful boy, but he won't talk about anything with me anymore. I… I don't know what I did, a-and it hurts!"

In an instant, Beans was up and moving across the room. Grace flinched at the sudden movement. The iguana halted her progress, and came the rest of the way slow and methodical. Eventually she reached her friend, and despite their size difference, the smaller animal took the larger one into her arms and gave her a hug. Grace stiffened, but after a moment, her brain recognised the hold as non-threatening, and she relaxed. She wept, and her friend held her for what felt like the longest time.

"Come on now, hush," Beans whispered. "You know it ain't your fault. None of it."

"I was such a fool!" Grace hissed and pulled away. With the grief of her situation finally let out, all of the other emotions came rolling with it. "I thought he was a coward, I didn't think he would actually… that he would… oh God!"

"Hey, don't you waste one more tear over that slimy piece of trash."

Grace shivered passed the horror that threatened to overtake her. "Beans, I never thought he'd actually do that to me. Look at me! I can't even look in the mirror anymore without knowing how badly I fucked up."

"You didn't–"

"Yes, I did." The glossy snake spat back, a hard edged to her voice. "I brought him back into my house. Good Lord, I brought 'im close to my son! What if he did something to Teddy? Or-Or–"

"No." Beans told her just as forcefully, her hands on either side of Grace's body, as she would grasp any other person by the shoulders. "That is why you ought to be grateful that he ain't ever comin' back to hurt you or your boy again."

A memory surfaced. Screams, the crash of furniture, a furious rattle, the choke of death. Grace couldn't help it, she looked away from Beans for a split second, unable to meet her eyes. It was enough for the desert iguana, who watched her friend, stunned by the pieces that fell into place.

"You ain't mad at Jake for that, are ye? He saved your ass!"

The glossy woman felt wretched when the words were said aloud, and hurriedly tried to amend it. "I know. And believe me, Beans, I'm so grateful he got there when he did. I just… I can't face him right now."

"Don't you dare tell me yer makin' that asshole suffer 'cause of yer principals? Grace, not even the law thinks he did wrong."

"It's not that. Not _entirely_."

"Then what is it?"

She didn't want to divulge all that had happened that day, everything it had made her feel. But the words refused to be held back. It was part of the reason she couldn't gather the courage to look at the man she loved.

Eyes turned away from Beans, she let out the confession in a whisper. "Teddy watched as Jake beat the life out of his father. Jake didn't care that I saw the killer in him set to work. No matter the fact I'm glad the piece of shit is dead, he murdered someone right in front of me and my son. He showed us how easy it was. How good it felt … He showed me what I could easily become…"

An uneven silence fell over the room. Of course, Beans knew nothing of the darker aspects of Grace's life, and so the whispered comment was more for Grace's own benefit. The confession made her feel lighter somehow, to speak the realised words and know they were true. The bulk of the reason she now kept Jake out. _He_ didn't terrify her. _She_ terrified _herself_. She'd seen him murder someone with absolute conviction and sense of righteousness. Hell, a small coherent part of her had even relished it… and that had frightened her.

"Grace," the whispered voice and gentle touch on her scales brought her back to the present. She looked down to see those big brown eyes meet her own imploringly. "I can't be no judge on what you want to do in yer life. And God only knows why I'm sayin' this, 'cause I think Jake's the nastiest son-of-a-bitch to ever slither on the earth. But I know you two was good together. And I don't think ya should be hurtin' each other like this."

"I want to, Beans. I really do." Grace worked to try and keep the tremble in her lip under control. "But every time I think about him… suddenly, he's not Jake anymore, he's Benjamin. And he's gonna…"

"I'm sorry, Grace. But I think that is something ya need to figure out together." She gave her friend one last hug and drew away. "Think about it. Okay?"

Throughout the rest of the day, Beans having left an hour or so later after giving Grace a few bits and pieces from Town, Grace thought about Beans' words. Should she let Jake back in? Could she forgive herself if she hurt him with her fear because she couldn't stand the thought of someone touching her without reminding her of Benjamin? Would he eventually banish that fear? Jake was so fearsome, she found it completely reasonable to believe he would frighten away fear itself.

Cooking dinner got her mind off of things. Though they quickly returned when she and Teddy ate in silence as they had been the past week. Beans' words haunted her again, and Grace took a good look at her son. A seemingly permanent look of sadness stayed on his face, he hardly touched his food and instead played with it, his eyes never left his plate. He didn't speak a word, and Grace felt a pang of guilt. Her boy looked like he was dying on the inside, and she'd been so wrapped up in her own problems she hadn't even noticed.

"Teddy?" she called to him softly. The only indication that he heard her was a flicker of his eyes. "You want some Dessert? Miss Beans left us some nice chocolate from town."

"No thanks," the boy mumbled.

"Teddy, is something wrong? Do you wanna talk about it?"

"No." was the automatic response. Grace's eyes pleaded with her son, and slowly, she saw his wall cave. His eyes darted up to hers and then quickly flashed away, ashamed. "I just… It was my fault."

"What was your fault?"

His lip trembled and the tears were flowing out of his eyes before either of them could stop them. "I left you. I could'a done somethin' but I ran and–"

"Oh no!" Grace gasped and quickly got up from the table. She rushed to her son and swept him up into her coils. She held him tightly to her, as if to protect him from the foul thoughts that had obviously been haunting him for the past several days. Her own tears came unbidden as she felt and heard her son weep uncontrollably into her. "Oh, sweet baby, no, don't even think it. You did _nothing_ wrong. You hear me?"

He nodded into her body. Neither of them let go for a long while. Mother and son just held each other as they bared themselves completely open to feel through every emotion and trauma that had been destroying them. Eventually their tears lessened, their embraces grew not so strict, and they just lay coiled together on the floor.

"Momma," came Teddy's whispered voice. "When's Jake comin' back? I miss him."

Grace sighed, her own heart pinched slightly with the familiar feeling of longing. Once again, her earlier dilemma sprung up. Could she reach out to Jake? Could she afford not to any longer?

"Me too, baby. Me too."

* * *

Dufayel downed the entire glass of brandy in one gulp. It burned like the devil down his throat, but he did not care. Anger made him clutch his cane to such an extent he could hear it creak in protest. He stared out of his office window, and wondered for a moment if he shot a bullet into the beyond, would it eventually hit something and kill it?

It was quite the temptation at that precise moment.

One of Ramirez's lackeys had just left the room as fast as his stunted legs could carry him. Which was lucky on his part. The report he'd given Dufayel had not been pleasing to say the least. If the henchman had stuck around, Dufayel might have lost his control once more and shot him as he had done with Tomson.

He reached back for the decanter of brandy and poured himself another glass. He drank. The fire in his throat burned its way down to meld with the inferno of his growing frustration and desperation.

Ramirez leant against the wall in the corner of the room, idly sharpening one of his knives. _Scrape-scuff-scrape_ it went, over and over. The only reason Dufayel didn't shoot him was because the remaining rationality that he had urged him that he still needed the coyote. He wasn't disposable until Dufayel had what he wanted… not until his business was secured.

Which apparently, _wasn't_ going to be any time soon.

The report had told him that Benjamin Hares was dead. Killed by Rattlesnake Jake, before he could sell the Grace Glossy's land. So now Miss Glossy was a window, and therefore in full possession of her farm with no living adult male relatives with which Dufayel could use to challenge her claim.

He poured again, and drank. His claws reached up to loosen his tie. The jacket he wore was becoming ever so slightly threadbare. It was another reminder of the ticking clock Dufayel was starting to face. It made the anger (and the brandy) burn brighter in his stomach.

"Quit the drink, _Amigo_ , we need you good. Not _loco_." Ramirez muttered nonchalantly without even looking up.

Silence. Dufayel attempted to remain calm. Count to ten. Then breathe. The idiot didn't know of the dangerous line he walked – of the dangerous line Dufayel himself was beginning to walk. One… two… three… four…

With a scream, the fox picked up his cane in both hands and swung it over his head to smash it down upon his desk. The decanter of brandy shattered into a thousand crystal glass pieces that rained onto the lush carpet. Still, he wasn't finished. Over and over again he thrashed the cane onto any breakable surface he could find, until the cane was nothing left but a stump of crushed splinters.

Shards dug into the palm of his paw. He hissed and threw the remains of the expensive cane across the room. Ramirez ducked to avoid being hit in the head with it. As he bounced back up, he was about to shout at his boss for the loss of control, but quickly shut his mouth when he saw the rage that burned in the fox's bright yellow eyes.

"I've had enough of this backwards country and filthy mongrels that wallow in it!" Dufayel snarled in a suddenly hoarse voice. "I played their game. Now I'm calling in all the bets. _Majordome! Envoyez-les._ "

Ramirez stepped away from the wall and cautiously approached his boss. "What're we going to do?"

" _Monsieur_ Rango believes he and the town have a guardian angel in _Monsieur_ Jake. So, I'll have to rip his wings off."

The doors to the office opened, and fox and coyote turned to address their new guests. Ramirez's hand instantly reached for his knife again, instantly recognising the newcomers.

In came a black-collared lizard, a zebra tailed lizard and a ringtail cat. The black-collared was obviously the leader of the group as he came front and centre. The animal seemed to carry no weapons on him, other than a small hand-axe at his belt, and a string of matches strapped to his boots. The ringtail cat was to his left, and looked a little more withdrawn. A single silver coin was held in his hand which he kept tossing into the air before catching it expertly, and two revolvers were on each hip. And the third, the zebra tailed lizard, looked the most jittery of the bunch. He vibrated in place as if he'd just drank an entire tank of coffee, tongue stuck out of his mouth. Every kind of knife imaginable was strapped to his body, and the two canines had no doubts that there were more hidden under his clothes as well.

The coyote knew who they were instantly. Irvin Worst, the fire breather. Johan Quall, the fickle thief. And Kepper, the knife nut. All three rather prestigious members of the Gunslinger Court. And all three of them had not liked the Black Scourge when he'd last visited their little hideout.

"Why you invite these _Gringos?_ " Ramirez hissed quietly to Dufayel. "My men can do the job."

Dufayel sneered down at him. "If I thought any of you _capable_ of the job, I would ask!"

"You promised me–!"

" _Silencieux!_ " Dufayel barked in french. Ramirez growled, and for a brief moment seemed he would hold his ground and fight. But then he looked away, and the matter was over. Dufayel turned his attention back to his guests and gave them his now less-then-stellar smile. "Welcome, _Monsieurs_. Don't sit. I won't keep you long. You three are part of what I hear is the 'Gunslinger Court'?"

Irvin Worst crossed his arms, a smirk playing at his lips. "That be us. We don't come cheap."

"You won't be doing this for money."

Kepper laughed hysterically in a very high pitched voice that was over too quickly. "You're off your rocker if you think we'll do anything a free-bee."

Johan Quall said nothing, and kept flipping his coin.

Worst was across the room in an instant, small axe out and pressed against Dufayel's throat. Ramirez snarled and went to move, but Kepper was there. The zebra tailed lizard looked like he was having far too much fun as he pressed one of his slender knives on either side of the coyote's neck. Ramirez froze and Kepper giggled. Dufayel, however, appeared as if nothing were amiss, apart from the fact that his shoulders were suddenly rigid.

The black-collard lizard flicked out his tongue and his smirk widened. "You know, it's bad enough you drag us to the ass end of nowhere. Worse when you waste my time. Bad enough you've got this piece of shit here." His head gestured to Ramirez. "Give me a good reason to not slit your throat."

"Because my revolver is sticking into your gut."

Johan chuckled. Worst looked down. Sure enough, Dufayel had pulled a gun out, unseen, with the barrel pointed directly under his attacker's ribcage. Though some might have been impressed, outlaws tended to not appreciate stand-off situations. Worst's back tensed, and he looked ready to make a fast move to get out of a tricky situation.

Dufayel spoke before the scene could get messy. " _Se détendre, Monsieurs._ You are amongst men of a common interest here."

Confused and cautious, Kepper and Worst slowly retracted themselves from their intended targets. As soon as he was free, Ramirez shoved the zebra tailed lizard away from him with growl. Dufayel held up a paw to prevent the coyote from further violence.

"I believe we already know each other, _Monsieur_ Worst? Or at least, you know my bank account. I funded your last several assignments."

Johan laughed again and started to flip his coin as if he'd never missed a beat. He grinned to his fellow outlaw. "He got you there."

"Alright." Worst shrugged. He fixed Dufayel with still suspicious eyes. "I'm listening."

Dufayel nodded and walked back behind his desk. "As I said, I won't be paying you. You'll get a much better payment."

"What's that?"

"Revenge." Brushing aside shards and splinters, Dufayel opened a drawer and pulled out a large bronze key. "You despise the Rattlesnake, your leader, _non_?"

Worst spat on the ground, and Dufayel fought the urge to growl. "That ain't no secret. Old timer's been lordin' over the unlawful for too long."

"Oh, I agree. Which is why I think a call for new management is in order… could even be you, _oui?"_ he eyed the black-collared lizard pointedly.

The words sunk in, and Dufayel saw the moment when they took root. The idea of being alpha was a very tempting one for all creatures of the world. Like eve to the apple, the temptation almost took over Worst, to make him say to hell with all consequences and dive for the chance. Yet still there was some scepticism about him and he snorted.

"You want us to bring down Rattlesnake Jake, the Grimm Reaper?"

Dufayel walked out from behind the desk, key in hand, and tried to reign in his impatience. "I can tell you where he'll be, what to do, I just need someone to make sure he doesn't come back. Leave him lifeless. _Mort._ Take his soul and send it back to the devil he hails from. Then cut out his fangs and bring them back to me. Is that good enough?"

A slow and sadistically gleeful smile swept across Worst's face. "Oh yeah… I think we can work with that. Right, boys?"

"Let's do this!" Kepper bounced on the spot.

Johan did not seem that convinced. "Jake's the Reaper for a reason, Worst. The odds of chance…" With a flick of a thumb, he tossed his coin into the air, higher than ever before. He caught it expertly in one hand and looked grimly at the tail side. "Aren't in our favour."

"Do not fear, _ami_. I have just the thing to swing the odds." The fox walked up to a rather large side door to his office. The bronze key slid perfectly into the whole and turned without so much as a rusty squeak. He swung the door open, and watched the faces of his company morph from awe to fear in a split second. "I'd like you to meet a recent new associate of mine."

Johan gulped. "Yeah… Now I'm in."

* * *

The last of the sun had disappeared behind the dunes of sand on the desert horizon. And all too quickly darkness eclipsed all that was left. That was the nature of the desert, Jake concluded as he continued on his patrol around the furthest borders of Mud. It flourished with sunlight and life, and then in the next moment it stole it all away and left nothing but cold death.

Much like Jake's love-life, he quipped silently to himself with sour humour.

Red eyes drifted to the east, where, if he squinted just hard enough, he could see the far-off silhouette of a house and small farm. He'd thought that maybe distance might get him away from all his problems. But apparently they followed him, unable to leave his mind to rest for a second. A call came from that house, a siren's song that floated across the waves of sand. It attempted to draw him in, to suck him in and drown him.

He shook his head. He'd kept himself away for the past week, he could handle a little more until this feeling of yearning eventually passed. Grace was his weakness, he knew this now. Never in his life had he ever been so swept up by a girl that he was affected like he had been on the day he'd come into her home to find her beaten by her husband. Jake didn't regret a single thing he did, no way. But he more regretted his carelessness.

The famed Grimm Reaper did not fall for some dame, or any for that matter, and get attached. It was fucking pathetic on his part.

It was best if he stayed away. Grace obviously didn't want him, the hypocritical goody-goody two face that she was. Her behaviour after he'd saved her proved to him that much. And soon he'd be able to get on with his job and his life and move on from this place. No good had come of it.

Snorting to rid himself of the distracting thoughts, the rattlesnake turned his attention back on the darkening path –

He froze. Every sixth sense suddenly put on alert as his instincts told him that he was being watched, that he was being hunted. Coils bunched beneath him, Jake made his defensive posture, gun at the ready. His black tongue flickered out, his head moved from left to right to see if he could taste the spoor of his hunter in the air.

Something inside him screamed a warning. He ducked a second before a gunshot fired. The bullet went wide over his head. The rattlesnake spun to face the direction of the shooter, a loud and demonic hiss erupting from his stomach.

A crash of glass, and Jake flinched when a bottle shattered and fire instantly exploded to life right in front of him. Seeing as the fire had nothing to feed it on the desert sand except for the alcohol that had ignited it, it quickly went out. But it was enough to gain the rattlesnake's attention for a split second as he zeroed in on where the second attacker must have come from.

Footsteps raced across the sand behind him. Jake lifted his tail at the last moment, but apparently wasn't fast enough. Pain sliced across his tail. "Argh!" His rough scales and good-enough timing had only resulted in a shallow cut.

In retaliation, he swung his offended tail and smashed the gun into his attacker's back. A high-pitched cry sounded and someone rolled through the sand. It wasn't a crippling blow however, and the assailant was back on his feet. And not alone.

Three figures stepped within Jake's line of sight. And he knew each and every one of them. Outrage burned in his gut, and his eyes blazed. His metallic tail rattled so loud, it was a shrill shriek in all their ears.

Irvin Worst, Johan Quall and Kepper, all members of the Gunslinger's Court, _Jake's Court!_ It had been his organisation, his makeshift band of brothers, and here were three of its members, smirking at him with malicious intent. Delilah's warning from weeks ago echoed through his skull. Damnit! Why hadn't he paid attention?!

"Worst!" Jake snarled. "I should'a known yer'd be turnin' traitor on me!"

"Ain't treason if I do this right," Worst grinned and removed another bottle of alcohol from his satchel. A match was snatched up from his boot. "We fought, you lost. Winner takes all. The usual deal."

"You ain't got the nerve." Jake seethed.

Kepper turned wild with excitement and leapt forward. "More than you, old man!"

The zebra-tailed lizard raced across the sand towards Jake, two knives in each hand at the ready. With so much energy, he bounced from left to right, faster and faster. He slashed out with his knives. In such close quarters, Jake couldn't use his gun to full effect. He dodged and writher away from the blades, knowing he was infuriating Kepper with the constant misses. It was enough to lull the lizard in, and then Jake struck. His coils wrapped around Kepper and quickly squeezed.

A click of a gun, and Jake quickly threw Kepper away towards his comrades. The Zebra-tailed lizard was alive, though winded and bruised from the crushing hold. Worst chugged on his bottle of alcohol, and Jake would've taken the bait and struck, had it not been for Johan cocking both his guns and firing each one at Jake.

For any other, this would've been the end game. But Jake knew Johan's tricks, his strategies. As ruler of the Gunslingers, he'd made it his business to know how they each worked, so as to better use them. This knowledge finally came in handy. Jake looped his coils in fast motions, ducking and dodging each way as he knew the patterns with which Johan would fire.

Worst struck his match against his belt, and puffed his cheeks in preparation to spit. They didn't call him the 'fire-breather' for nothing. In a flash, Jake hooked his tail into the sand and sprayed the tiny grains up in a huge wave to wash over his two opponents.

Johan and Worst cried out and ducked away to shield their eyes. The flames that had just spluttered out of Worst's mouth were immediately extinguished. Finally given the moment, Jake cocked his gun and fired it where he last saw the three. He heard shouts and saw shadows duck away from the bullets. He seized it, and surged forward. His massive coils bowled over the three in a single strike and pinned them to the ground beneath his massive weight.

"Who's old now?!" he hissed into their faces. "You yellow bellies ain't ever been good enough to take me on. You picked the wrong day ta mess with me, Worst. Now, yer gonna pay for it. All of ya."

Even in the position that he was in, Worst had the audacity to grin. "Who said this was _all_ of us?"

A shadow raced across the ground. Jake froze. His heart began to pound. Suddenly he was transported to a year ago, as he looked up at the sky and beheld a nightmare with wings.

The cry of a hawk echoed out over the desert. Feathered wings glinted against the moon rising behind it, the bird swinging around and diving straight towards him.

Jake gasped, his coils instantly bunching up to make himself into a tight ball. In that moment, he forgot he was the most feared outlaw in all the west, he forgot about the vengeance he was about to dish out, he forgot everything that had ever seemed important. Right then, he was little more than an animal running on base instinct. On this rare occasion, he was the prey, and this was a predator. He was a boy again, and the phantom pain tingled across the cut-off piece of his tail where talons and beak had sliced right through his flesh.

He bolted.

There was nowhere to run. Around him there was only sand, with no cover to offer him any protection. Under his breath, he cursed every swear-word at himself for being caught so vulnerable. He could hear the flap of wings gaining behind him, heard the piercing cry of a hawk on the hunt.

Talons impaled him. Jake screamed with both pain and fear as he was lifted into the air and thrown aside. Blood spurted from the holes in his underbelly and back. When he hit the sand, there was no cushion or slide, but a solid hit that threatened to break the ribs that ran all the way along his serpentine body.

Black swept over his vision for a brief second. Only the heart-stopping terror which eclipsed him was enough to bring him back. Just in time to see the hawk, small and grey as it was (nowhere near the size of the previous monster that had once inhabited these parts), land. It drove its beak towards him. Jake pulled his coils out of the way just in time. His wounds made his body feel like it was on fire.

The hawk gave a frustrated shriek, and flapped its wings. They buffeted and bruised Jake when they hit him. The rattlesnake, in a desperate attempt for freedom, attempted to scare the bird off with a lunge and exposed fangs. But it was no use, he still hadn't replenished his supplies from he'd drained it all on Benjamin Hares.

Retaliation was brutal and swift. The hawk raked its claws down Jake's body, pulling scales and skin apart as it did so. Jake screamed and fired his gun to try and make the predator back off. The hawk hopped away from the wild stream of bullets. But it only positioned itself on his other side. Unable to see it fully, Jake was unprepared and unable to dodge when it thrust its beak at him and clamped down.

Jake screeched, words unable to form from the agonising pain. The curved tip of the hawk's beak drove into his hide, easily spilling his blood onto sand. He didn't know how, but somewhere in his struggles he managed to hit bird, and it tossed him away.

Sprawled in the sand, Jake struggled to remain conscious. His energy was leaving him as quickly as his blood from his various deep wounds. Weakly, his head defied his small strength as he looked back. Worst, Johan and Kepper were all strutting towards him, smirks of triumph plastered across their faces. The hawk waited obediently for them to pass before following.

Even as weak as he was, Jake still found the strength to spit blood at Worst's feet and glare up at him. "Ain't… ain't no hawk gonna get me."

Then, he threw himself over the edge of the sand dune and tumbled into the hills below.

Perhaps it was some miracle that allowed him to fall onto the exact spot where the sand only thinly covered the opening to a shallow gorge in the stone. It hurt him more when his back hit into the rocks, and in all honesty, Jake wanted to close his eyes and never wake up. Death was quite appealing in that moment, away from all the pain that coursed through his body.

But of course, he hadn't survived so long only to give up now. Through sheer force of will, he managed to keep his now dull red eyes open. Far away, the voices of his attackers were heard, talking back and forth, arguing, clearly searching. Jake waited until he couldn't hear them anymore, and especially waited until he was sure the hawk had flown off long ago. The moon was high in the sky at that point, when he decided to finally drag his sorry carcass out of the gorge and through the sands.

Every movement caused him great pain, enough to make him pause and stop almost after every small slither. He bit his lip to try and keep in all his shouts and cries of pain when he aggravated his wounds by dragging them through dirt and sand. He didn't need to look behind him to know that he was more than likely leaving a trail of blood behind him.

With each moment that passed, with each drop of blood he spilt, more of his energy was taken from him. He didn't even know where he was going, in his delirium he had just started to crawl in any random direction. Something in his bones told him he was going the right way, even if his mind had no clue what that was.

Though his luck eventually had to run out. As the sands of the dessert gave way to the hard-compacted earth, Jake felt his world begin to spin. He had no strength left with which to move. Eyes became too heavy to keep open, and his head was too heavy to keep up. He fell face first into the dirt, and finally surrendered. If this was to be how he died, then so be it. He'd given it a good fight, the devil wouldn't be able to fault him for that.

Perhaps it was a dream, something brought on by his exhaustion-riddled mind. But Jake could've sworn he saw a small light somewhere far away. A voice echoed his name, but it kept getting quieter and quieter…

 _"…_ _Jake … Jake… Jake…"_


	29. Something's Still There

**Author's Note: as we reach the final ten-or-less chapters of this story, there are a few songs I'm going to include that I think fit the story/characters so perfectly, that I'm going to almost insist that people listen to them, they are simply _that_ good and give you such a greater understanding of the story and it's characters. **

**One such song, is the one for this chapter. Not only am I addicted to it (I keep listening to it on repeat) but it absolutely presents how the characters are feeling and their voices _perfectly_! Please give it an ear, it will set up the mood for this chapter greatly (I hope). **

**And please don't forget to review - I live for them!**

* * *

Something's Still There

 _"I can't help my heart, I can't catch the wind_

 _So every night I raise the dead and face the ghost of us again,_

 _I can't stop the flood,_ _or drown your memory_

 _I can be a hurricane_ _of driving rain and misery…" Will Chase & Laura Benanti – 'Can't help my heart'_

* * *

It was another long night for Grace. She waited until far past Teddy's bedtime, long after all the cleaning and chores were done, and once all the doors and windows had been double checked. When she'd driven herself to the point of beyond-tired, she did as she had done every night for the past week. A shawl was draped over her body and tied at her front to be sure that her cold-blooded body wasn't too badly affected by the cold of the Mojave night. Lighting a lantern, she then made her way out her front door and towards her barn.

Another night of cold and nightmares. Of screaming and shivering with no end in sight.

That was when she heard it. Right before her tail could unbolt the door to the barn, distant gunshots rang across the night. No hindered by any obstacle out in the desert, sound would travel far, no matter how distorted it became. It was enough to make her pause, gunshots not too far from her home was never a good thing. Her heart began to increase with fright.

Lantern held higher and further in front to try and see, Grace felt herself be pulled out into the night. She went far beyond the perimeter of her land, past the fences and gates and slightly spooked animals in their pens. What spell held her in its grip, she didn't know, but she was powerless against it.

At the point when her nerve almost won out, when she nearly shook off whatever had held her, when her heart couldn't take much more of the tension – something caught her eye. Breath trembling in her lungs, she dared to move forward. The darkness moved again. A long mass shifted ahead, the impression of rough scales against the oily darkness of the desert night. As she came closer, the lantern light slowly parted away he darkness like a veil and revealed to her piece by piece, what lay in the earth.

"Is that… Jake?" she whispered.

Indeed. Laid out on the ground was the huge rattlesnake. But not as Grace remembered him. His body was covered in slices and cuts, blood seeping over almost every scale and staining the floor. The belt of bullets looped around his middle was torn and nearly hung together by mere threads. Beneath his black hat, his eyes were unfocused and near dim.

"Jake?" Grace called to him, a little louder.

He didn't respond. The last thing he seemed to focus on was the light in her hand. Then, his eyes rolled and closed, his head slumped into the earth.

"Jake!"

Her mind was scrambled, her body shook. The anxiety and horror warred within her. The insecurities that had surfaced in her recently, tried to hold her back. But this was Jake, _her_ Jake, and he was hurt. He needed her.

Quick and careful, the glossy snake wound herself around Jake. He was a large and heavy brute, and though she tried to support his head, grab his chest, and not aggravate his wounds, he was still a little too much for her. It took all of her strength to hold him up, much less drag him back the way she had come. Held in her coils, she could barely feel the beat of his heart. He was in bad shape. Dangerously so.

It took too long to get him all the way back to her property. The poor woman's body was screaming at her where her muscles hurt and cramped from clenching for too long. It was almost too much to heave him the last few metres into the barn and lay him down in the soft hay. Grace wanted to collapse and pass out right then and there. But she couldn't.

Forcing herself onwards, she went back into her house and tore through every cupboard and draw until she found what she was looking for. Tail wrapped around a whole stack of bandages, bottles of pure-alcohol and a bowl of water, she raced back to the barn. Her load put to one side, she carefully and tenderly began to strip Jake of his bodily garments. His hat and bullet belts were put aside until he appeared almost naked before her.

Grace hesitated, afraid. She didn't know how to stitch up injuries that looked _this_ bad. And it looked like Jake needed it. In order to get him that treatment, she'd need to go into town to get the Doctor. But in his current state, Jake wouldn't last that long.

Immediately, she picked out her bowl of water and a rag and began to clean away the blood from his sandy scales. It didn't take long to turn the water scarlet, but she kept going. Next came the bandages. Each was doused in alcohol before she hurriedly began to wrap him up. The blood flow was slowed, and she prayed to whatever god was listening that it would tide him over until she could get proper help.

Just as she was about to finish, she felt the muscles beneath her touch move. She froze. A rabbit caught in the headlights on the human road. She watched. Jake began to move, to stir, his eyes blinking open. For a moment, she allowed this prospect to fill her heart with hope. But then she saw his eyes: unfocused, delirious, unable to see anything around him truly.

Without full comprehension, he acted on pure instinct. His metallic tail began a weak rattle, his coils tried to hide away from her and bunch up, which accidentally aggravated his wounds. He hissed, more agitated by the second. Fangs attempting to come loose, he tried to roll himself up further. Grace's stomach lurched when she saw his head roll uncontrollably.

Without thinking, she hurriedly tried to push him back down. "Jake, don't–"

His head snapped in her direction. Grace froze and for a terror-inducing-moment, thought she would die. All her fear from Benjamin resurfaced for a second and a scream almost tore out of her throat. On the edge of madness, she was about to fall. And then, Jake's black tongue flickered a millisecond before he struck. It sent a scent straight into his mouth and he stilled.

Just as fast, his body moved and wrapped itself around her. Grace had to fight the instinctive panic of claustrophobia, of the touch on her skin without her permission. But Jake did not hurt her. He clung to her, as if seeking comfort, as if he wanted someone to comfort him through this horrid pain. Grace had to calm herself with counting, and then remind herself that this was Jake. _Her_ Jake.

But what did that even mean anymore? Why did it matter and ache at the same time?

Eventually, she gathered the courage to reach up to him and gently stroke the end of her tail along the top of his skull in soothing strokes. Her voice whispered soft nonsensical murmurings. Just as she had with Teddy when he'd been a babe, she let her touch and mere presence communicate what reasoning and conversation could not. It was a very primal thing, and one that she found started to wash away even the icy clutches that had taken hold of her insides.

After some time, Jake relaxed and released her. As soon as she was able, Grace rushed back into the house and retrieved as many spare blankets as she could. She threw them over the rattler in an effort to keep him warm – his scales had become far too cold for her liking. Knowing that it was the best she could do, she bolted out of the barn, out of the farm and into the desert straight to town.

She pounded on the Sheriff's door, the city hall, the doctor's practice and even Bufford's bar until she found all the citizens she wanted. The Doctor had to be shaken out of drunken stupor, and Rango emerged half-dressed and with a facial mask on when he came out with Wounded-Bird. By the time Grace had them all and told them the quick version of her story, almost half of Mud was awake and wondering into the streets to see what the gossip was all about. Thankfully they stayed stood there in their nightgowns as Grace led the way for the three other animals back towards her farm.

When they got back to her barn, Jake had once again attempted to rouse himself. His tongue flickered and tried to tell him there were intruders and threats close by. He hissed loudly at the three newcomers. Grace rushed forward in an attempt to intercept the defensive display.

"Jake's it's alright, _shhhhh…_ " she whispered and slowly approached. It worked after a moment and diverted his attention to her long enough to calm him down and settle him back to sleep.

The others were still a little sceptical about Jake being fully out for the count, and so had their trepidations in approaching. Grace anxiously urged them on, and moved back out of the way in order to let the doctor do his work. He undid the bandages and inspected every wound. From his bag, he produced a needle and thread strong and sharp enough to pierce the snake's tough hide. As she watched, Grace had to admit that even for a drunk, the doctor was very good at what he did. Wounded-Bird stood beside the doctor, and through some mysterious Red-Indian-know-it-all way, told them that Jake's worst wounds were made from some kind of bird – a hawk. It did little to put Grace's nerves at ease. As a snake herself, Grace had her own inborn wariness when it came to hawks, not to mention the fact that the last one that had lived round these parts had been a nightmare. Whilst Wounded-Bird and the Doctor carried on, Rango questioned Grace for more details on how she had found Jake and tried to piece together what had happened (though not very well).

It took a little while for the Doc to finish, and when he finally wiped his paws clean of blood, Grace waited nervously for his verdict. The hare let out a tired sigh. "If he makes it through the night, he should pull through. He's gonna need a lotta rest, warmth and food – no goin' nowhere for a week, at least."

Grace nodded her understanding.

Not long after that, the bird, reptile and mammal left her farm, with Rango promising her that he'd stop by in the morning. Grace watched them go, to make sure they made it safely away. Then, she piled the blankets back over Jake and made sure he had all of the warmth the barn could offer him. The Doc had said that they couldn't move him now until he was strong enough to move himself. So Grace coiled up beside him and prepared herself for a long and sleepless night. She wouldn't let him die, she swore it. Even if she had to stay up all night to keep him warm and see to his wounds, she would do it.

* * *

Jake didn't awaken until well into the afternoon of the next day.

Grace had worried about how to feed him when he wouldn't wake up. She was exhausted from a sleepless night, and the constant strain on her nerves was not helping her. Teddy had come looking for her in the morning, and upon first seeing Jake, had been over the moon, until he got a good look at the rattler. He'd then been confused, as if he couldn't comprehend the invincible-Jake succumb to anything like this. When Grace had asked for his help in fetching a few things, Teddy had uncharacteristically ignored her and sulked off.

Rango came by just as he'd promised, and checked in on Jake. He informed her that they were out searching for whoever did this, but so far they'd had no luck. Grace hadn't thought there would be much of a result, and so didn't voice her non-surprise. Once the Sheriff had left, she'd gone about her usual routine of seeing to her farm and then try to prepare something for Jake to eat for when he eventually woke up.

With nothing else to do but let the worry eat at her frayed nerves, Grace had carefully seen to Jake. With gentleness for something more fragile than glass, she'd cleaned and oiled his gun, and made sure it hadn't taken much damage. She'd noticed blood had seeped from beneath one of the bandages at the bottom of Jake's tail. Quickly fetching a cloth and clean wrappings, she saw to cleaning up his stitching and redressing it.

When she looked up, Jake's fiery eyes were glaring across at her.

Grace froze. For the longest moment, she didn't have a clue what to do. Should she say something? Her throat felt too dry. A wedge suddenly made itself known, a void that sucked everything away, a scar where something had once been. It made Grace panic to think of things like that, but there was no other way to describe the way Jake appeared so unreadable and so far away from her.

The silence, her stare, had stretched on too long. Jake's eyes narrowed.

"What ya think yer doin', woman?" his voice was rough and hoarse.

Grace forced herself to swallow, tried not to recognise all the emotions that were welling up inside her. She put down his tail and retreated a little. "I need to tend these wounds… I can't let them get infected."

"Why bother? Last I checked, ya hated me."

"Hate you?" her gaze shot to his, confused.

She was surprised by the intensity of his glare. "What'd'ya call yer behaviour then?"

"Jake, I didn't – I _can't_ talk about that day…" Damn it, why did her throat close up? Why did the tears threaten or the shakes start? It took her a moment to reign it in. She wouldn't let Jake see her like that. After a moment, she forced out the whispered words. "But I don't hate you."

Jake sighed and shook his head, as if he were so tired from all of this just as she was. "That son'ov'abitch nearly killed ya, and ya still think I'm wrong 'cause it ain't lawful to kill a man – not even when he does that."

"Please, stop."

Her whispered plea had its desired effect. Jake finally looked over at her, and saw how close she was to losing it. The memories had assaulted her mind, the tremors in her body were almost easily detectable. The rattlesnake finally dropped the subject, and she was glad of it. To try and force this out of her, she moved about the barn, just placing things away or picking up random objects only to place them somewhere else. The busy-work gave her tail something to do, and it made sure that Jake couldn't see how hard it was for her to get over this. She wanted to be strong, and she knew she would be in time. It was just taking her a while to get there.

Eventually, Jake's voice floated to her ears, quiet and unassuming. "How'd ya find me?"

"I heard gunshots," she murmured. "I went out into the desert… and found you there."

"Should'a just left me."

"No." She spun to face him, surprising him and herself with her rediscovered conviction. "Whatever you think happened between us, I owe you more than to let you die like that. I _couldn't_ let you die like that. I wanted to help you."

For perhaps the first time since she'd known him, she'd rendered the rattlesnake gunslinger speechless. He looked away, red eyes conflicted. It was almost like he didn't know what to make of her, like they were strangers. Grace didn't want that, and didn't know what she would do about that. Heck she didn't even know what she wanted right now. But Jake's current attitude only made her heart further and further sink into a pit of despair.

"Thanks." She heard him mutter.

And then the conflict was right back. Present warred with the past in a way that Grace was unsure how to handle. As she looked over at him, memories of nights spent in his coils gave her a phantom warmth across her scales. A part of her desperately wanted that back, she'd spent almost every night unable to escape those memories, haunted by her fear that she couldn't have it any longer. And now Jake seemed as far away from her as a canyon-gulf, as ungraspable as the wind. It drove her to misery to think that the man she loved didn't feel the same way.

Her voice was thick as she tried to say anything that would give her the excuse to leave that horrid atmosphere. "I'll, um… I got ya something to eat. Get your strength back. I'll be back with something else later for you."

She gestured to the meal she'd prepared for him, and slowly tried to slither away. Damn it, though, she still hesitated, still wanted him to stop her, call her back. When he said nothing, she looked over her shoulder and saw that he still hadn't moved. He merely gazed at the floor, plate beside him untouched.

"Jake? You got nothing to say?"

His eyes flickered to her, bitter and sharp. "Ain't nothing to say. Yer've made yer mind pretty clear."

Anger flared through her body. If he was unwilling to try and find anything between them again, that was his choice. But he would not blame it on her like that. "Don't you dare. I'm not apologising for what I've gone through. You've got no idea."

"I wouldn't know because ya wouldn't let me." He raised his head and neck off the ground, rounding on her with a temper of his own. "Damn it, ya were my woman! Ya shoulda–"

"I couldn't!" she shouted back. Jake clamped his mouth shut, his expression demanding an explanation. Grace's coils squirmed, and she had to look away. "You don't how much I wanted to – but I just…"

Another tired sigh, and he slithered back from her. "Then that's that, ain't it."

He tried to settle himself back to where he'd previously laid, but grimaced as obvious pain laced through his wounds. It was only then that he took a good look at himself, and Grace saw his expression shift from concern to vengeful fury in a matter of seconds.

"What happened, Jake?" she found herself whispering. "Who did this to you?"

Silence was all that was given to her.

And that was when she lost it. All the hurt, the sting of rejection, it all boiled in her stomach. This was exactly what she'd been afraid of on that first night they'd lain together. He clearly wanted nothing more to do with her, and left her broken in the dust of his wake. It was clear in that fact that there was no trust. And if he couldn't trust her, then there was no relationship. "You know what, Jake? You know every dirty little secret I've got. I might not've been forthcoming with it all, but I don't regret that you know. But you can't say the same. How am I supposed to trust you when you won't show me that respect? When you won't let me in?"

* * *

As the days went by, Jake thought long and hard about everything – including what Grace had said to him.

He wanted Grace. He hated to admit, but he wanted the woman back. She was a weakness: she made him yearn for her, get angry and emotional over her, do irrational and ridiculous things all in the name of her affection. It made him weak and he wanted to stamp it out with every fibre of his being. But despite all of that, he wanted Grace so badly. If he were a godly man, he would've wished for a chance to turn back the clock to when they'd been happy together, long before her husband had entered the picture.

The only problem, she seemed to want nothing from him. She trembled when near him, couldn't control her emotions around him, wanted nothing more than to brush away what had happened between then and move on. It was like he'd done something wrong and she wouldn't let him back in until he accomplished some sort of quest for her.

And then she asked him the simplest thing. To tell everything. To spill his guts and lay bare to her everything that he was. But that wasn't in his nature. There was something he had purposefully never told her – never told anyone. It was a dark place he really didn't want to visit and deny it ever existed. He couldn't tell Grace everything, it gave her too much power over him. But was it his only chance to return to her?

She came back to see him regularly, though they hardly spoke. Jake often grew frustrated from all the things he wanted to say but couldn't find the right words. Grace brought him meals and made sure his wounds were healing well. And every time, before she left, she asked him what had happened to him out in the desert. And every time he lied to her.

"I don't know." Was what he said.

It was a bare-faced lie. He knew perfectly well who had done this to him and he was counting down the agonising wait for his body to heal so that he could have his retribution.

Which was why he was very pleased when one night he received two unexpected visitors.

"Took ya long enough," he mumbled into the darkness.

A match sparked to life, and Delilah lit the small lantern in her hand. The bobcat threw him a lopsided smirk. "A lady always arrives on time, sugar, you know that."

"Damn it, Jake," said the second figure as he stepped into the light. "Why'd ya have to go and do this?"

Reth was old and grizzled, a rare thing in the outlaw line of work, and even rarer that that age generally showed. The desert Iguana's tan scales were worn, wrinkled and hung off of his thin frame, his hair had lost almost all of its brown gloss and was instead a messy mop of grey. A scar lay over the lizard's left eye, claiming the orb and turning it grey and lifeless. He spat his tobacco on the floor, briefly flashing the gold of his teeth – those that remained inside his mouth.

Jake looked onto his second and third in command of the Gunslinger Court. These were the only two he knew were utterly loyal to him, the only two he could trust. And they were also the only two that would be with him one hundred percent of the way. It was why he allowed them to see him in this state, bandaged-up and all, and still feel in control and not weak.

"Tell me what ya got," he said.

"Irvin Worst and his lot came into the court," Delilah growled, "told everybody you was dead. I said that bullshit stank worse than him. Reth and I got out fast as we could. No way they were gonna keep us around."

Reth's voice was a gurgle from a life of chewing cigars and tobacco and even wood-shavings from his carvings. "Follo'd ya trail out into th' desert. Follo'd it here."

"Irvin's gone full rogue. Wanted yer place as king o' the gunslingers. There's chaos out there – ain't nobody know when to shit as well shoot."

"That there fox o' yers gone and bought 'em out, saw it myself."

Jake threw the little lizard a look. "I done told you not to get too close."

Reth chortled. "Boy, ya ferget who done taught ya what ya know."

"That ain't all, Jake," Delilah said gravely, scarlet lips pursed. "Rumour been spreadin' last few days. Ramirez been hangin' bout. Wants to get in with the Gunslingers again. This been a setup from the start. Move you out, clear house of all those who got yer back – he moves in and uses the whole thing like his little kingdom."

Jake couldn't speak at first through the rage that made his blood boil. It was one thing to attack him, but to go stomping over everything he'd built and trash it like that? Unacceptable! The promise of sweet vengeance was the only thing that would satisfy him now. Damn everything here – his deal with the Sheriff was off. He'd done far more than his fair share of what Rango'd asked of him. Jake had far more important things to deal with.

He turned his hellfire gaze on the bobcat first. "Delilah, I don't care what ya gotta do, but keep the coyote bastard outta my business. String him along, take him down yerself – I don't care. He steps one foot inside that place, he's a dead man walking."

"Yes sir, daddy-sir," she purred with a malicious grin.

Jake turned to Reth. "Find me where them boys be hidin'. Whatever hole they've crawled into, you find it and you come right back to me. Don't engage. For what them boys did to me, I want them all for myself."

"Ya sure?" Reth cocked a brow. "Ya gonna need some time to heal."

"Give me a week. I'll be back." He snapped dismissively. "When you've got what I want, meet me at the toad's bar in town. And bring everything ya got. What I got planned, I'm gonna put them boys through hell for a long, _long_ time…"


	30. Not So Simple

**Author's Note: Yes! I'm back! I'm so sorry to my lovely readers that this has taken sooooo long to get to you guys. But I've been having serious computer troubles lately, and I've only just managed to get it fixed today - and now I'm £80 pound out of pocket for it! But I hope that this chapter is enough to make up for it - I wanted it to be perfect. Let me know in the reviews how I did!**

 **Also, I love the song for this chapter, it really made my heart twist that I just had to have it. And when I picture the characters with it... *swoons* So much feels!**

* * *

Not So Simple

 _"_ _Tell me don't I, or tell me do I baby_

 _Give you everything that you ever wanted,_

 _Would you rather just turn away and leave me lonely?_

 _Do I just need to give up and get on with my life?_

 _Tell me baby do I get one more try…?" Luke Bryan 'Do I'_

* * *

During that week, Jake attempted to speed his recovery by moving around as much as his energy would allow. It always seemed to be the metaphorical one step forward, two steps back. For every time his muscles would grow used to movement again, his stitches came close to popping, or his flesh would spasm. It grew increasingly frustrating, especially as time went on and the deadline that he'd set himself came closer at hand.

Yet through it all, Grace tended him faithfully. Despite the fact that they hardly talked, and he could sense how upset she was with him, she never once failed to clean his wounds, bandage him back up, feed him, and keep him warm on the cold nights. It somewhat confused him how she could even do that if things were so bad between them. To be honest, if the tables were reversed, he didn't know if he would be the same in her position. And though it frustrated him because it still left him bewildered as to what was going on between them, he was grateful that at least she was above something like his own self-admitted pettiness.

He was at an utter loss for words with what to do in regards to the woman. Throughout the week, he tried to figure it out, but grew angry when the answer constantly eluded him. They had been good together – Jake would admit that wholeheartedly, for he'd never been in such bliss as when he'd had her in his coils. That wasn't to say that she was the best shag he'd ever had, though yes, she had been good, but she brought a sense of peace and _belonging_ that he'd never felt before. He couldn't quite describe it, even to himself, only that he missed whatever-it-was that was now missing. But after everything that had happened, something had been irrevocably torn between them, with neither of them having any clue how to stitch it back together. Jake wanted Grace back, but in his eyes it was very clear that she didn't want the same. Yet some of her actions, some of her words, they were the evidence against his theory that stuck out like sore thumbs. Though even if she didn't hate him entirely, she'd made it clear that she couldn't trust Jake enough to let him back in because he was still keeping secrets from her. And Jake would more than happily continue to keep _that_ secret from her because it wasn't anybody's business to know. He wanted to forget it ever happened, and to say it aloud would just bring it all back in a way he desperately didn't want.

So then what was he to do? Did he want another shot with Grace? Yes, absolutely. Did he want to tell her the last piece of the puzzle he'd purposefully kept hidden? No, not in a million years. If he didn't, that was it. Over and done with, no way back on the rollercoaster. But if did… what then? What would happen once it was all spoken in the air? Would she let him come back to her? Was _he_ the coward to rather back away from the fight than grab it by the horns?

There had been one time, Jake had visited a town way out of Mud, and frequently visited the whore house there. On one such occasion, just before he's hooked up with his regular girl, he'd overheard two of the younger hookers talking. Apparently one of the customers – a green boy besotted with one of them – had been making arrangements to take his prostitute lover out of her life of poverty and make her an honest woman as his wife. The hooker of his affections had been hesitant to accept his offer of marriage, afraid that he would make a good husband, if he would be content to have a _whore_ as a wife. She feared he would grow bitter and take it out on her. Despite the fact that the conversation had seemed utterly tedious at the time, for some reason, Jake never forgot the second hooker's advice to her associate.

 _Look, you either trust him, so you have nothing to worry about. Or you don't, and you've already decided._

The truth of the words ate at him until he growled to himself in defeat. God in Hell, a good memory could be such a _bitch_ sometimes.

He waited for night to come, for the darkness to sweep across the desert and take away the heat only to replace it with an icy chokehold. Despite the warmth of the barn, Jake couldn't help but pull his coils in a little tighter. He didn't have to wait long. Before true blackness could squeeze the life out of the room, Grace entered with a lantern and a few candles. She set about positioning the candles and lighting them so that Jake would have some way to see by when she left. Her deep brown eyes caught his for a brief moment, a look passing between them. Then she broke it off and set to work seeing to his latest bandages and checking his injuries. It was a nervous habit of hers. She had to fuss, had to make sure she was okay to avoid whatever was on her mind.

Her devotion only made it harder because of how it made his guts ache with want of her.

Finally, he glared at a spot on the floor, refusing to look away from it as he forced the words out of his mouth. "Ya know why they say I came outta hell?"

Grace's tail paused in its work as she slowly looked up at him, eyes blinking in confusion. "Huh?"

"I was always tell folks I come from the darkest pits of hell, that I done seen the devil – that I'm the Grimm Reaper." He refused to look away from the spot on the floor in front of his nose. It was easier to pretend he was talking to the dirt, the dirt that couldn't say anything back. "Truth's a bit more literal then most people think."

She didn't touch his bandages. She didn't move. Jake could feel her eyes fixated on him intensely. He tried to ignore it, tried to ignore the suffocating silence in the wake of the begging to his confession. He'd started, so he couldn't stop now.

"Right after I ran from home… after my mother died… After the hawk cut off my tail, I wandered the desert. Thought I was gonna die. Found a lill' hole, curled up and waited for the end. Then somethin' reaches in and pulls me out – grabs me round the neck and stuffs me in a box. I got no idea what's goin' on. There's others in there and we're all smotherin' each other; can't get out. Was in there fer hours – least I think it was. When the box opened, I just saw… faces. They was human. In one o' their huge tents they'd put up out in the middle o' nowhere. They had rattlesnakes all together in a pit – hundreds o' us. You know what it was?"

Uneasy silence drowned him.

The atmosphere was choking him, wrenching things apart in his chest he'd thought were long since dead and buried. He turned his head only slightly to glance out of the corner of his eye and hiss. "Say it."

"A…" Grace swallowed thickly, the horror causing her voice to shiver. "A R-Rattlesnake Roundup."

"I thought they was just a story. My ol' man went on about 'em once when he came home stinkin' o' booze. Thought he was a liar. Tryin' ta scare me so I'd never leave home." He spat on the ground, trying to burn away the memory of the stench that still assaulted his nose, the rank foulness that spoiled his mouth. "You know what I saw in there? They picked us up, one at a time. I watched through a gap in the fence. They measured this ol' girl up, stuck 'er on a table and made sure she couldn't bite 'em. They then took her venom – I watched them drain it into a pot till she had none left. Then they passed her on – and cut her head off. I watched this beast of a human take her body – still wrigglin'… and skin her up. Then he did it to another and another. I watched dozens of 'em die. Slaughtered, skinned – the bastard even toyed with us! Tortured and scared us shitless. I never believed in Hell before. But I'd walked right into it."

He felt the tip of her tail touch his side. "How'd you get out?"

He shook his head. "No one wanted to help. Folks in there only focused on their own survival. I was young, and I had no tail – I was good as dead. But I got out. Got stuck in the shitty-fence, but I wasn't gonna wait for 'em to gut me like the others. And that's when I met Reth. He'd been skulkin' about, stealin' from the humans to sell later. He saw me makin' my escape, and could'a killed me then and there, easy. But he didn't. I think he'd gone soft in his old age and took pity on a kid. He pulled me the rest o' the way out, and when he saw my tail, he bandaged me up. We was on our way out, when I saw him…"

Jake couldn't help his tail from rattling furiously at even the memory. His teeth grit together, his pupils turned as thin as blade edges. Even to this day, that face haunted his worst nightmares. A stubble of fur on the chin, slick with grease and spit. Dull brown eyes with an even browner shirt – splattered and stained with old blood.

"That sonovabitch. He was right there in front o' me, I saw the happiness in his face – the mother-fucker _delighted_ in causin' us pain. I couldn't hold it in. I waited till he was alone, and then I bit him – just the right place so he fell and I could reach his neck. Gave 'im all my venom. My first kill, and I watched him burn – no remorse, no pleasure. Only satisfaction. I met his eyes and only said one thing: ' _Go to Hell.'_ …" His sides were shaking from the force of the anger the memories evoked, and for a moment, Jake just wanted to get up and start smashing everything in sight. He wanted to kill, to maim, to unleash this anger that couldn't be sated, no matter how many years passed. That feather touch ghosted over his scales again, and it was only that reminder that forced Jake to take a breath and speak again. "Reth got me outta there, taught me everythin' he knew to survive – he even gave me my tail. As I grew older, better at what I did, people wanted muscle, they wanted to hire someone fer killin' and I found I was very good at that. I done looked into the face of the devil, and I killed him. That kinda thing you don't forget, not ever; it changes ya. People called me the Grimm Reaper, the Hell Snake, and I just didn't correct 'em… 'cause they weren't wrong."

Finally, the tale ended, and Jake was able to screw his eyes shut and wished with everything he had to take it all back, to never speak of it. He wanted to be sick, to scrub out his mouth so that the nastiness he'd just spoken wouldn't seem so real. What was worse was Grace's silence. He could feel the horror in her open-mouthed stare, could smell the salt of her tears on his tongue. But wasn't this what she wanted? Didn't she want him to tell his darkest secret, so that she knew everything about him? He could bet all his bullets she wanted to take that wish back now and remain ignorant.

"Jake… I…" her words were hoarse from sobs not yet unleashed. "I'm so sorry. I never thought – I mean, I didn't know…"

"I didn't want you to." His voice was dead, flat. "Didn't want anyone knowin'. I don't wanna ever go back there."

And then she was beside, hesitantly touching him, nuzzling him. Seeking to give him comfort and a soft whisper. "I'm so sorry…"

"I now told ya everythin'. There ain't no more dirty-little-secrets." His voice was quiet, even as he turned to look her full in the eye since she'd come in. "So, what happens now?"

Grace stared, like a rabbit caught in the headlights. She was the first one to look away. "Well, uh… it's obvious, right? You're gonna get better. You'll stay here and stay safe."

"And us?" he pressed. "That mean you want us back?"

Grace groaned, leaving his side to pace away, her tail rubbing the back of her neck to work out the kinks. "Oh Jake… why do we have to go through this?"

"'cause I can't let this rest. Not yet. I wanna know what happened to the girl I used to know. What's holdin' you back? I done told you everythin' like you asked."

"I know Jake, and I'm so grateful for that… but actually doing this ain't that simple."

"It _is_ simple. I just want us back to the way we were – you and me."

"Really?" she snapped, temper appearing to wear thin as she turned to cast him an icy look. "Me at your beck and call? You goin' off to do your whole gunslinger ways, and leavin' me at home until you decided you wanted to come back?"

He stared at her a moment, dumbfounded. "Is that what this is about?"

"No." she hastily snapped. "But why don't we talk about it, hmm? Is that what you want back? To go off an' be the outlaw and leave me at home to cook and clean till you come back for me?"

Jake scowled at her. "You ain't changin' me to be no law-man or farm boy."

"So what do I do? Wait every day for news if you're coming home, or if someone finally done you in? Are you that selfish to make me wait like that, wondering if that morning will be the last time I see you?"

"There ain't no-one gonna take me out." He scoffed.

"Look at you, Jake!" she pointed furiously to his barely healing stitches. "Someone almost did!"

"What is this?" Jake spat, anger flaring at the exploitation of his weakness. "You just wanna hubby? Like that piece o' shit ya had before? Let 'im come waltzing in and take everythin' back, no questions?"

Grace surprised him when she actually _growled_ under her breath. "Oh, we still angry at me for that?"

"No, Grace." Jake bit back, rising his neck as high as he could so that he could be on par with her. "I was angry with ya, 'cause you seemed to go right back to yer darn husband the moment he came back."

"No! That wasn't it! I never went back to him – I only tolerated him for the sake of the law. He never once touched me, never once got in my bed. I never **_let_** him! So don't for a moment think I did!"

"You shoulda just screwed what others mighta thought. Nobody really mattered or cared, but us. Was that not enough?"

"You know it was!" her anger broke, her brows upturned. She shook her head, huffing as if the entire conversation were pointless. "But you wanted to think there was somethin' wrong! I never wanted him – he was only supposed to stay a week and be gone forever."

"And what about that day?"

Silence. Jake watched as the blood drained from Grace's face. Her body tightened in on itself, and she hurriedly looked away at anything other than him. When she spoke, her voice was quiet, small, weak. "I don't want to talk about it."

He wouldn't let her. Dragging his aching body, he came so close there was only a few inches between his neck and hers. Still she did not turn to look at him. "No Grace. No more runnin'. No more hidin'."

"You don't get to make that choice for me." Body turned towards his just a little, her eyes darted to his.

"Ya may not like what I do, Grace; but what I do saved yer life that day. So why did ya send me away? After the evil that bastard done to ya, why'd ya push me away when all I'd done was for you?"

"I'd just nearly been beaten and god only knows what else by a man I thought I'd once loved," she whispered brokenly. Her frame shivered, and he carefully watched as she tried to bury the pain underneath a front of anger. "I just watched you murder someone –"

"You ain't seriously tellin' me this is all because of your goody–"

"No! It's because I _wanted_ to do it!" she shouted. Her breath hitched as silence fell over them again. Jake stared into her eyes, leaning his face into hers, almost close enough to touch. Grace's eyes filled with tears, her teeth were set in a frustrated snarl and all the emotion just poured out of her from behind the dam she'd tried to seal it behind. "I watched you murder him, and I wanted so badly to do it myself. And that frightened me, Jake. It scared me nearly to death. What he did, what he made me want to do to get back at him… I can't… I can't go back to that…"

Her words dissolved into sobs and she almost sagged to floor. Jake didn't let her. Though his injured sides protested at the movement, he gathered her in his coils and held her close. Grace cried into him, nuzzling herself deeper into the soft scales on the underside of his neck. Jake didn't pretend to be a mothering hen of any sort. But his girl was hurting and crying, and Jake wouldn't let nobody or nothing as he could help it.

"Easy there, baby." He murmured huskily into her ear. "I ain't never gonna let 'im or anyone get ya. You just gotta let me back in."

"How can I?" she croaked. She pulled back just enough to look into his face again. "How can I do that, Jake, when every time anyone touches me, all I think about is the bruises he left? How can you want me when all I do is scream at night?"

"I ain't him."

"No. You're not. And I want you, Jake." Her breathy whisper should have made him grin for joy, but the ever so slight shake of her head pulled him back. "But I don't know if I can have anything like that anymore. I don't know if I trust it."

"Trust it?" he echoed, brows drawing down as his temper began to fray. "Ya know ya trust it – ya always did!"

"Jake…"

"Answer me this, Grace. What would you do if I just picked myself up and walked right outta here?" he demanded. She looked stricken at the very idea, so he pressed on. "Would ya call me back? Let me leave here nothin' else said? What if I kissed ya, right now?"

Slowly, her eyes lowered to his lips, her tongue darting out to wet her own. Only god knew how Jake kept himself from claiming those sweet lips as he said. But something was holding him back. He had to know, had to be clear.

"Tell me, Grace. Tell me what I make ya feel. Do you want me, or not?"

She opened her mouth and closed it again before words would finally come to her. "You know I do – I always did."

"Then what is it, Grace? From where I'm standin' it looks like yer just leavin' me to hang here."

"That ain't true. I just need time, Jake. After everything that –"

"We ain't got time. I wanna know, Grace, what it's gonna be. Are we goin' all in on this – do I get one more try, or do I really need to forget 'bout all this and get on with it? Answer me!"

In the face of his demand, she stared at him, mouth open to speak but no words would come out. The torn expression on her face… her hesitation… it was all the confirmation he needed.

He released her so fast, it was as if she burned him. Not trusting himself, he turned away and refused to look at her again. "Then go."


	31. Heart of Stone

**Author's Note: I KNOW! I know, I've been missing from this story for around six months! I know, I'm so sorry! But suffice it to say, put some family-drama in a bowl, add some life crisis, a change in career-options, a busy schedule, a new story, some more family-shit, and you've got a recipe for why I haven't been around lately. So, again, I am so sorry. But I hope this chapter makes up for it. I've been working on it for the past week, trying to get back into the groove as we gear up for the climax!**

 **P.S Pleeeeeeeeease listen to this chapter's song choice, it is really great and I think it really works in the context of this chapter. Thanks!**

* * *

Heart Of Stone

 _"_ _Cause I don't wanna do that dance_

 _The push and pull, the second chance_

 _I already know… Yeah, I know…_

 _You'll just promise me forever_

 _And then you'll take it back just like that_

 _Sayin' you can't live without me, then you'll change your mind_

 _So baby don't come back this time_

 _Don't wanna have to say goodbye… All over again…" Scarlet and Gunnar 'Change Your Mind'_

* * *

Dufayel felt the paper crumble beneath his claws. A fierce burn made its way up through his stomach, past his chest and into his throat. He wasn't even aware he was growling until his voice began to feel hoarse. Yet still, it would not cease. The letters, numbers and words flashed before his eyes over and over again, refusing to abate, no matter how much he tried. All his worst fears had come to pass. The clock had reached its final countdown. He was out of time.

 _…_ _Your account has no more funds…_

The fox hissed. Without his cane to beat the rest of his office into submission, he settled for his chair, and threw it against the wall where it crashed into a thousand fragments. Worst and his outlaw heathens had failed: they hadn't brought him back Rattlesnake Jake's corpse. His workers couldn't return to the mine because it was still flooded. The town had refused him his rightful property. Tortoise John had sucked him down a rabbit-hole that was now threatening to drown him and all his legacy! Fury was beyond a way to describe Dufayel in that moment. He looked to be more monster than man. All this time he'd pretended to be civilised amongst barbarians, with his fancy clothes and endless supply of money. But now everything was gone. Even his sanity.

Spinning in place, Dufayel fixed his subjects with the ferocious gaze of a mad king only a single word away from burning them where they stood. Ramirez looked away, not wanting to incur his master's wrath further with some misplaced comment. Irvin Worst and his fellow goons shrank away, for even they couldn't hide how unsettled they seemed by Dufayel's temper.

" _Assez_! I will no longer be patient. _C'est la guerre_ – It is war! Ramirez," Dufayel spat. "Take your Hellhounds and be sure to drive every one of those filthy _bâtards_ out! I don't care what you do. Frighten them, assault them, murder them for all I care! I give you leave to do whatever you see fit."

The coyote nodded, the small semblance of a grin forming on his face as ideas gleamed in his eyes. With hurry in his steps, he rushed out of the office. Dufayel turned his attention lastly upon the three gunslingers.

"You three will NOT fail me again," he growled in a low voice. "You are going to retrieve something for me. Like the dogs you are."

* * *

Jake wasn't usually one for heartbreak, he hadn't believed in it – didn't want to. He'd once thought any so-called 'man' who lost his shit over a woman turning him down must be something else on the pathetic scale. Probably a virgin or something like that. It didn't matter. Now he was one of the bastards. Grace's hesitation had hit him hard. Hope had fled and he couldn't for the life of him think what on earth happened next. Part of him wanted to be angry with her, blame her, but he knew deep down that wasn't it. It was just… damn his stupid temper and non-existent impulse control! If he'd had a better grasp on either (or both) of them, he wouldn't be in the mess to start with, and he might be in a better position now!

There was only one thing for it. He'd have to beg her one last time. Try to fix this mess, salvage what he could. And if he was turned down once again, then so be it. But he couldn't give up just yet. One last try, that was all he asked for. Perhaps now HE was something at the very bottom of the pathetic-scale. To think, if anyone had told him a few months ago he'd be so caught up he'd beg a woman to take him back, he would've shot holes in them from belly to nose. Yet, here he was. And he did not regret it. He only wanted her. The only thing to do now, was to figure out what words to use…

Two days after his confession, Jake was sorting through the mechanics on his Gatlin Gun, oiling it up, making sure it was fully loaded. Always go with your gun loaded, he'd had to learn that lesson the hard way many years before. It was a way to try and focus his mind while his body was doing something. At least it was getting easier to move now. His wounds still pained him but his skin was whole once more. Though vengeance called to his black soul, he needed to give himself just a little more time. Should Worst come up with that Hawk trick again, he wanted to be his best self. Not that the son-of-a-bitch would get a chance to use said trick.

His mind drifted to Grace, of what he would say to her. It was like a riddle – and he hated riddles. His focus was broken when he heard a small voice just outside the barn. Probably Teddy playing in the yard. Moving over to the barn-doors, Jake peered one gleaming red eye through the ever so slight opening. Just as he thought, there was Teddy. The boy had carved a hopscotch into the ground with a stick and was throwing a pebble onto the numbers. Jake wondered how exactly he thought to win the game, seeing as how the boy couldn't see as well as other folks. But to his surprise, Teddy used the game as a challenge, to try and focus his sight and judge distance before leaping. Jake didn't even bother to hide his smirk of pride.

And then it vanished when his gaze caught something in the distance.

A shape lurked on the fringes of the property. Even the pigs in their pen seemed to notice and kept on the far side away from it. Though the distance was great enough to blur exact details, Jake was still ale to make out a long serpentine body… and scales of white banded by black rings. The rattler's cold blood nearly became ice. It was a Kingsnake!

Jake feared nothing, save for hawks. But every serpent was wise to be wary of any other snake that had the term 'king' in its name. It meant that that particular snake made a rather nasty habit of dealing in cannibalism. Once, years ago, Jake had run into a Mojave Kingsnake; barely a man grown, thinking he ran the world just because of what he ate. He was almost as big as Jake and had thought to make a meal of the gunslinger. Jake had killed him for that mistake. And now there was one here. He remembered Grace mentioning that Dufayel had a Kingsnake in his payroll. Did that mean Dufayel was done playing games and had come to have Grace and her boy murdered so he could then claim their farm?! He hadn't thought the fox was up to that kind of dirty-work. But then why was the Kingsnake not attacking now? Jake thought back to his attack that landed him in such a weakened disposition. Dufayel had pulled out all the stops just to try and get rid of Jake; he knew that the pit-viper was his only real obstacle in getting his way and sort to remove him, that much was certain. The Hawk hadn't done the job. So what if the Kingsnake was now the next step up?

Glancing back out, Jake felt his stomach tie itself in knots when he realised that Teddy had abandoned his game and was just wandering aimlessly… and getting closer to the Kingsnake's position.

"Teddy!" Jake blurted out.

The boy whirled around, startled. As if he feared punishment for not answering a summons, he rushed towards the barn. Jake quickly held open the door for him and then shut it fast with a slam the moment the boy was inside. Hopefully the cannibal-bastard hadn't spotted him. The last thing he wanted was to confirm the Kingsnake's suspicions that he was here. For he'd surely come charging in to finish Jake off while he wasn't at full strength.

"Mr Jake?" said a little voice.

Jake turned to look upon Teddy, having almost forgotten he was there. The boy cocked his head, curious. The rattlesnake realised how stupid he must've looked, shouting at the boy to come in and apparently not having a reason to do so. Awkwardly, he cleared his throat. "You doin' alright, boy?"

"Yeah, sure." He shrugged with a small voice. Jake spun back around and looked back out of the crack in the door, eye scanning for any sign of the enemy. He didn't even realise his tail was rattling until Teddy's little voice squeaked. "Everything okay, Mr Jake?"

Pausing, Jake turned and looked on the young lad behind him. The boy looked half-frightened, but he seemed so ready to face whatever Jake dished out to him. Jake sighed, knowing such a young soul wasn't ready for the harsh realities of life. "Teddy, you listen to me. There's a lot of bad folks out there. Some that'll chew ya up and spit ya out before yer even ready for what comes. I don't know what yer Momma's told ya, but ya need to know the truth. They're comin' here. And ya gotta be ready fer when they do."

"What do I do?" Teddy gulped.

"Yer nearly a man, aren't ya? Ya gotta start actin' like it. You don't let them bastards get close."

"But… but I…" coils bunching around him in a tight ball, the boy's composure quavered. "I'm not like you, Mr Jake. I can't… I didn't protect Momma. When that bad-man, when he…"

The boy trailed off and tears glistened across his eyes. Jake felt his previous tension die away as he recognised something ancient and familiar in that young gaze. It was something he'd seen at the very back of his own eyes every time he'd looked in a mirror. He knew that feeling of being helpless, of feeling the crushing weight of shame – and the life-long anger that was ignited in your soul because of it.

"Hey," his voice was surprisingly soft as he called the boy's attention back onto him. He didn't want to admit weakness in front of a kid, but this was the only way. "A long time ago, I was… I was the same as you, Teddy."

"Really?"

"Really." He nodded. Craning his neck down, he lowered his huge triangular head until he was eye to eye with the child. "But I'll tell ya somethin', boy. Yer Momma… she's the best damn thing you got. No one loves you like she does. I ain't seen anyone as proud as she is of you. So ya better be worthy of that. Ya swear to me you'll respect that woman, honour and do right by her till the day she dies and long after."

Gone were the tears, gone was the fire of anger. Instead, a different fire, one of pride was ignited as the boy stood straighter, taller, stronger. "Yes sir!"

"Yer the man of the house. That means ya gotta be strong fer both of ya. You gotta lead where she won't be able to. And if yer half the man I think you are, you'll do just fine. Ya understand?"

Teddy said nothing. Instead, he suddenly leapt forward, and pushed his coils against Jake's neck in a form of embrace. Eyes screwed shut, a wide smile across his face, Teddy hugged the Grim Reaper of the West. Blinking dumbfoundedly, Jake looked down on the small child, unsure of how exactly he was to proceed. There was no one about. And Teddy smiled so brightly and with such devotion… Jake brought around one huge coil and placed it on Teddy's back to return the gesture.

"Now go on with ya," he said after a moment and pulled away. A quick glance through the crack in the door, and he made sure that the Kingsnake was nowhere in sight. "Find yer Momma."

Teddy beamed up at him and raced out of the barn and back towards the house. Jake watched him leave, at first with a smile, and then with a heavy weight in his gut. The Kingsnake was hear, more than likely on Dufayel's orders. If he was here to finish Jake off, then that meant the rattler was out of time. Now, he had no choice but to leave.

* * *

He waited until the dead of night. Heavy clouds were gathering overhead, perhaps even to unleash a storm in a while. The dust on the ground felt different, clotted, as if the very heaviness in the air had spoilt it in preparation for what was to come. Looking out on the distant dunes of the desert beyond, Jake waited for the dark hour when he knew most inhabitants would be asleep. Especially Grace and Teddy. He needed to be gone before they awoke. Gone for too long for _them_ to track him, but he would make sure to leave an obvious enough trail to lead away the Kingsnake and whatever henchmen-imbeciles Dufayel sent after him.

Unbolting the door on the barn, Jake crept out as quietly as he possibly could, closing the door too behind him. He looked up at the main house. The only candle-light flickering in the windows was Grace's bedroom. Unexpected. He didn't think she'd be awake at this time of night. But then he thought back to her words in the barn the other night. ' _How can I do that, Jake, when every time anyone touches me, all I think about is the bruises he left? How can you want me when all I do is scream at night?'_ Damn it, now he wished he could kill that no-good bastard all over again. His Grace wasn't sleeping, was haunted by the evils she'd witnessed, and here he was just skulking away in the middle of the night. What a terrific picture that made him out to be.

Attempting to be quiet as he slithered his way towards the front of the yard, Jake hugged his belly close to the floor to squash any wayward sound. His injuries complained but he ignored them. They'd already cost him enough, he realised, because his movements were slower than normal. The pigs in sleeping their pens snorted and snored, and one that dared to blink open its eyes rumbled at him in warning. Jake sent the stinking-thing a glare and it promptly shut up. And just when he thought he would make it out, A suddenly light erupted out from behind him, bathing his back, casting his shadow harshly onto the ground. He froze.

"Jake?"

Ah, God, no – not now. Slowly, Jake turned his head, though not a single other muscle moved on his body. Grace stood on her front porch, a lantern held in the end of her tail, front door wide open behind her to give him a full view of the golden-light interior of her home. She was staring at him, face pinched in concern, as if she were afraid he would hurt himself just by being outside. Had she spotted him through the window? Was he not quiet enough? Or had she been wanting to come out to check on him, and he had the worst timing? Knowing his recent luck, probably the latter.

Grace put her lantern down on the porch, and sprang off of it to race up behind him. "What are you doing out here, Jake? You need to be resting, you're not fully recovered yet."

Jake didn't turn around, his mind racing as for what he was gonna do now to get out of this mess. He spoke automatically, curtly. "Didn't know ya cared…"

"Don't get smart with me, Jake." She snapped back at him short-tempered, as if he were Teddy throwing a tantrum. "Come on, you gotta get back inside."

He felt the soft brush of her tail against his rough scales, gently pulling him, urging him to follow her back inside. The answer to his problem became clear, but Jake desperately didn't want to do it. But there was no turning back now, however. With a growl he shook off her hold turning his head slowly to blaze one bright eye down at her.

"I ain't goin'."

"Then where are you going…" Grace's voice trailed off, her face went slack, as the truth became clear to her. When she spoke, her voice was panicked. "Wait, you're _leaving_? What do you mean, where are you going?"

"You saw the shape I was in. The bastards're gonna pay for this. No one does that to me and gets away with it."

Brows furrowing down, the glossy snake erupted in anger. "You liar! I asked you if you knew who did this, and you always said no!"

"I ain't done nothing. Ya just assumed and went along with it." He snapped. He tried to turn away from her, but she quickly shot around to his side so as to stay in his field of vision.

"So what, then? You gonna march on out into the desert, find them and gut them? You can't do that, Jake, you're in no shape to do that!" Those gorgeous brown eyes darted over his body, and her anger was leeched away to be replaced with desperation. "Please, just stay a little while longer, at least; you need to heal a little more. You're too weak!"

"Take that back, woman!" Snarling, he whipped around to glare down at her. That time, his anger was real. Nobody would degrade him like that. "I ain't never too weak fer nothin'! I don't need you or no one else shamin' me and babyin' me!"

"I'm not babying you, Jake – but I can't watch you die. Don't ask me to do that. You have to stay."

"Why?"

A pause, her eyes darting back and forth as her mind raced for any excuse. "Don't you have a contract with Sheriff Rango? He's paid you to help him protect this town. And you told me you don't ever walk out on a job."

"I don't give two shits if I got a contract with that lying coward or not." Rich, calling the Sheriff a coward when he was being too cowardly himself to own up to the truth and instead was just trying his damnedest to make Grace angry with him. If she could be angry with him, he could walk out of here. For added affect, he allowed a cruel, almost evil, smirk to twist his lips, a sadistic gleam in his eye he knew she hated. "And besides. Them boys that got to me are no doubt paid fer by Dufayel's. I take them out – maybe take him out too – then my job's done."

If anything, Grace looked even more terrified. "No! Dufayel could be waiting for you!"

"I hope he is. I'm itchin' fer a good fight."

"J-Jake, please…" The storm clouds above them rumbled in warning, just before the rain came down. The dry earth instantly soaked it all up, but it did not seem to faze the cold and hard-hitting deluge. Jake's face was mostly protected from the spray by his hat, but Grace was left at its mercy, and it made it difficult to tell whether rainwater trickled down her face or tears as she stared up at him pleadingly. He watched the cogs of her mind working, attempting to form one last ditch attempt to keep him here and safe with her. Her voice was small and wobbly, and it took everything in him not to cave in to her. "What about your promise to me?"

Only a lifetime of being a cold-hearted bastard kept his outer facade intact and his tone clipped and nasty. "I don't know what yer talkin' 'bout."

"You promised me you'd protect me and my son. You said you wouldn't let Dufayel take our home from us. Now you're just leaving?"

Damn it. She wasn't gonna let up. If he couldn't make her mad, he needed to make her hate him. He honestly didn't want to do this, he didn't want to try and purposefully hurt her. Despite his entire life of living alone and preferring it that way, taking his joy from the fear he brought others, this was the one woman he didn't want to look up at him with that look of being terrified of him, of feeling powerless. Some part of him still wanted to go out and do his business and then return to her and claim his prize like a hero riding off into the sunset. But he wasn't a fucking kid anymore, and life is a hell of a bitch. That dream was gonna be no more, as he burned his last bridge to it.

"What could possibly keep me here? Eh?" he snarled in her face. Red eyes seemed to glow in the darkness, adding the threat of him more credit as he growled and rattled his tail at the woman before him. Despite herself, Grace cringed away from him slightly. Jake pressed forward, making sure to have each cruel word cut her like a razor. "Why would I stay here at all? If you ain't gonna give me what I want, then why should I hang about at yer beck-and-call?"

"That's not fair–!"

"Oh, well, in that case, let's think it over, shall we? Ya got nothin' left to bargain with, Grace Glossy. I don't want yer gold, ya not got enough income to afford me, and I already had a taste o' yer body – so the novelty o' that prize ain't special no more."

 _SMACK!_

Jake's head whipped to the side as Grace's tail slapped him across the cheek. A burn bloomed under his scales from the impact. He froze, a little in shock at the lightning-speed of her strike. Slowly, he turned back to fix her with a glare. She scowled at him unafraid. This time, there was no mistaking her tear-filled eyes that burned them red and swept down her face. She was still poised with her tail held up – like she was ready to smack him again for that insult. Nothing was more upsetting then the crushed look in her face.

Slowly, she lowered her tail, but her eyes never once left him. When she spoke, her voice was low, deep, as if held back to stop the emotions that would choke her. "You really think I'm so stupid, that I don't know when somebody's trying to hurt my feelings on purpose?"

The rattlesnake's composure slipped as he blinked his eyes wide in surprise. Wait, she knew what he'd been trying to do? The bottom of his stomach seemed to drop away. Grace closed her eyes tight shut, lips pressed together, and turned aside.

"Fine. If you're so desperate to leave me, then go." The words were spat from her mouth in a venomous whisper. When those eyes opened to look upon him again, he could actually see her heart breaking. "You get off my property. And you don't come back. Not ever. I don't ever wanna see your face again, Rattlesnake Jake."

And that was it. It was over. For good, this time.

Before Jake could make a move or say a word, they suddenly heard a distant _BOOM_. The pair of serpents spun, to see on the distant horizon of town, the after-light of an explosion of fire that lit up the night's sky. Even when the initial ignition died down, the flames still roared so high you could see them even from Grace's farm so far on the edge of Mud. Not even the rain seemed able to push back the inferno. Black smoke poured into the sky, a torrent that only added to the thick dark clouds above. And as the echo of the fire faded, a new sound reached their ears. The sound of screams.

With a great gasp, Grace suddenly sprang forth and rushed in the direction of the fire. Her body moved like lightning in a zig-zag pattern as she slithered. Jake watched her go, and felt the same urge to investigate as she did. With little other choice, he followed after her, albeit at a slightly slower pace.

* * *

Grace arrived, sides heaving, lactic acid coursing through her trembling muscles from her exertion, heart pounding. The rain made her body glisten, the dirt beneath her underbelly squelched into mud that sucked on her scales as she came to a skidding stop. Mouth gaping wide open, the adrenaline rocketed back through her again as she recognised the wall of flames that arose before her. She'd only been here a few times recently, mostly for business, but she still recognised the vegetable-patch that was being stomped all over. She recognised the wagon filled with empty glass jars and bottles. She also recognised the shanty-house at the apex of the hill.

Beans's ranch.

The main house was literally up in flames. Every wall, window ledge, roof-tile and beam was on fire. The heat of such a blaze blistered against Grace's scales even from this distance. All around her, people from the town were running back and forth, their arms filled with buckets and bottles and cans, all filled with water they all ferried back from the lake. Even the little mouse, Spoons, was carrying water in his spoons! But no matter what they did, the flames only hissed and spluttered before they roared back with defiance. Grace craned her body up so that she might be able to see above the heads of the many townsfolk around her. Panic making her hyperventilate, the glossy tried desperately to find a specific face, praying to almighty-God she hadn't been caught in that fire!

And there she was! Beans was right in the thick of it, shouting orders and running around, desperate to find water to help put out this crisis to her home. Sheriff Rango was right beside her, and the pair of them looked like they were still in their night-clothes. Grace felt her body relax slightly. At least the pair of them had managed to make it out.

A loud shout drew everyone's attention, and then in another wave of chaos, all the civilians were scrambling to get out of the way of something, screaming as they went. Grace twisted to see, and then had to throw herself aside to avoid being trampled. A roadrunner screeched indignantly as it passed her, long talons churning up the earth. On its back was a grinning coyote with a torn ear. Ramirez Avenga.

Grace stared, mouth agape, as Ramirez laughed and crowed to the high heavens, and threw another bottle of alcohol, a flaming rag attached at one end, towards the already blazing house-fire. It exploded, and the flames crackled higher with the encouragement. Ramirez cheered, and then from the darkness, more of his gang appeared, laughing and yelling in a demonic chorus. All on their roadrunners, they cantered around the house fire, kicking people aside if they got in their way. When that didn't seem to satisfy their giddiness, Ramirez and several others pulled out their guns and other weapons and began to shoot at the feet of the towns folk. More chaos ensued as people were torn between helping their neighbour, and running for their lives.

With a loud hiss, Grace launched herself at the nearest Hellhound. Her teeth sank into the shoulder of a lizard and her body curled around him as she wrenched him off of his mount. The prey struggled, but Grace merely tossed him into the air, and cared not for what shape he was in when he landed. Quick as a cat, her tail lashed out to punch the next Hellhound in the face when he came too close. All around her, those that had weapons on them (most of them the men) drew them out and began firing at their attackers. The Hellhounds seemed to delight at this, responded in kind. Grace had to duck behind an overturned pig-trough when Ramirez specifically tried to shoot her down.

 _BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG!_

The rapid-fire staccato of a Gatlin gun drowned out all others. Grace swivelled in time to see Jake come looming in out of the darkness, gun cocked and aimed as he shot at the Hellhounds relentlessly. With this more deadly and accurate fire now thrust upon them, Ramirez's gang scattered, whooping like Red-Indians as they charged off into the darkness. Ramirez himself was the last to leave, as he looked back at Jake, and then Grace, and laughed as if he just got the punchline to the funniest joke in the world. And then the darkness swallowed him up.

For a moment, Grace believed it was over. But then she was proved immediately wrong, when back at the main heart of town, they heard another screech that pierced the night. Everyone turned, and moans of horror came from the collective group. With the screaming of women and children who fled their homes, accompanied by the distant baying of Hellhounds, one by one, the town buildings began to catch fire and roar to life. Everyone abandoned the fight to reclaim Beans's home, racing with everything they had back to town in an effort to try and save their own homes.

Grace looked on, a well of despair cracking open inside of her as the terrible night's events crashed around her. If her heart hadn't already been shattered and pulverised by Jake's purposeful cruelty, then this would have broken it just the same. Everything she and the other towns folk had been fighting for was now gone.

Hours went by, and everyone still tried to save what they could from the hunger of the flames. Grace pitched in with everyone else, helping to drag huge buckets of water to wherever her exhausted body could take it. At some point, Ramirez and his brothers had finally thought to leave their victims enough to lick their wounds, and disappeared. The townsfolk had worked well through the darkness, until the first rays of sunlight pierced the horizon and revealed the final fruits of their labour. Most of the town had been saved, except for three houses on the outskirts furthest from the lake, and the bank.

Beans's house, however, had been burned to the ground. Exhausted, her body covered in scratches and soot, her lungs burning from inhaling so much smoke for so long, Grace crawled her way back to her friend's house. There, she found Beans crumpled on her knees, weeping uncontrollably into her hands before the wrecked husk that had once been her home. Only charred twigs remained in a black-scorched crater; nothing had been spared. Rango hovered over Beans's shoulder, delicately taking her shoulders in his hands to offer any comfort he could. Around them stood their friends, looking just as miserable.

"It's gone…" Came a hoarse whisper between sobs from the broken woman. "My daddy's ranch… it's all gone!"

Grace couldn't stand to see her dear friend so hurt. She came forward, and gently wrapped one coil around the iguana's back. Others came close too, and settled for placing a single hand on Beans's shoulder or her hair, any way they could to offer her comfort and support. Grace looked to the Sheriff. The chameleon seemed broken by just watching his woman be so upset. It wasn't in his nature to be silent and stay out of it when he didn't know what to do, so he babbled to try and ease the tension.

"Hey, Beans," he tried to say with a small smile, attempting to pulled her head out of her hands in a desperate attempt to cheer her up. "Come on, it's okay. We're gonna–"

"It's _OKAY_?!" the she-lizard suddenly exploded. Leaping to her feet, throwing off the compassion of all those around her, she turned on the Sheriff, eyes ignited with fury. "Whaadya mean ' _it's okay'_?! I just lost my daddy's ranch – it's the only thing I got left o' him. And yer tellin' me it's gonna be okay?!"

Frightened out of his wits, Rango began to hastily back up away from his lover, even when she came stalking after him. He threw up his hands and tried to talk his way out with a stutter. "Now, hold on there, darlin'… I didn't mean–"

"This is all YER fault!" Beans screeched and poked Rango hard in the chest.

"My fault?" he squeaked.

"Ya done told me ya sorted it out with Dufayel! Ya said ya talked to him?" Everyone looked at the Sheriff in outrage. He'd said what? Face going pale, he'd admitted his guilt with one look before he could stop himself. Beans exploded. "What, was it more lies? More schemin' and takin' me fer a fool?!"

"Beans, I…" he opened his mouth, as about to placate her. But then something in him shifted, and it all fell away with a slump of his shoulders. Even his accent was gone as he looked at her dejectedly. "What could I say? I couldn't tell you I…"

"What? Ya couldn't try and tell me the TRUTH?" Tears rolling down her face, Beans shoved him back and turned away from the sight of him. "I've had it, Rango! I can't take no more of yer lies. I can't… I can't…"

A sob burst out of her throat, and the woman once more fell into the ash. Hands covering her face, she wept inconsolably. All the witnesses looked upon Rango, their pity for him gone. Though he wilted under their scrutiny at first, the heart-wrenching cries of the woman he loved affected him more. By just the look on his face, he felt awful for what had happened to Beans, and how he was responsible for it. Carefully, hesitantly, he crept forward and knelt in the mud with her. Without a word, he enveloped his arms around her and pulled her into his embrace. Beans crumpled against him, holding onto him for dear life as she wept.

Grace watched them and then looked out to survey the untold heartache that had been brought to the entire town in one night. When would this nightmare ever end? And why would the Hellhounds do such a thing? They'd obviously been sent by the fox, but before, they'd always been sneaky, making sure not to get spotted. This went completely against all the other attacks. It had drawn far too much attention, had brought them opposition and a fight, when they could've done the same thing in stealth without any casualties. Unless it was a diversion, why would –

Grace felt her heart come to a sudden stop. It couldn't be! Looking over her shoulder at the distant speck of her house, Grace felt her breath come with a gasp, and she raced away, straight towards home!

* * *

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